Secrets of the Heart Volume Two
by BabyGurl2012
Summary: Ana and Christian continue their journey while discovering more secrets of the heart
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: They're back! Ana and Christian are back to continue their journey while discovering more secrets of the heart. Enjoy!**

"Can you believe this time last year we were welcoming these two sweet peas into the world?" I'm trying not to cry at Christian's simple remark, but it's hard not to. Georgia Grace and Raygan Caroline are one today. Wow. The girls are standing up and holding on to the sofa cushions. They've been trying to walk but haven't gotten there just yet. They are however repeating dada and mama which are the sweet sounds.

"They were so tiny. Now look at them. They're still small, but they're growing like weeds. Georgia eases to the left of the sofa while looking at me. "I think someone wants to walk. Do you?"

"Mama.", she mutters. "Mama." Her hands are out as if she's ready to start towards my chair. Seconds later, she falls on to her behind and begins crying. Christian rushes from his chair and picks her up while Raygan looks on. Raygan slowly takes a step and then another.

"She's walking.", I say softly so I won't scare her. Raygan totters across the floor to Christian before eventually falling back. Georgia looks down at her sister and begins giggling. I get up from my chair and pick up Raygan, kissing both of her cheeks and then kissing Georgia's. "I believe we have a party to get ready for."

"We sure do.", Christian says with a grin. "And do you know what's the best part of a party? Cake and presents. I can't wait to see them with cake all over their faces."

When it came to planning the party, we chose to have a My Little Pony theme with pink and purple as the colors. I was able to find several stuffed pink and purple ponies as well as decorative pink and purple cowboy hats to place on the tables. Gail is baking not one and not even two cakes, but she's baking three. Both girls are going to have their own smash cake to place their hands in while a third cake will be for eating. Most of our family and friends are attending with the exception of Mia and Mark who are staying home in Logan with Thomas Logan, the newest addition to the family, who was born two months ago. Haley and Adam aren't going to be able to make it either since they're going to be home tending to one week old Addison Claire. With her on leave from the bookstore, I've been bringing the girls to work with me. Sawyer has been great in helping to watch them.

"Hey.", Elliot says as he opens and closes the front door behind him. Christian looks behind his brother and scowls. "I know what you're probably wondering where the balloons which I promised to get are, but I have perfectly good explanation."

"You had them and then let them go?", Christian asks.

"Not quiet. I went to the party supply place where I was going to get them, and they weren't there. I called two weeks ago and ordered those fudging balloons and was told they'd have them ready today at noon. When I got there, imagine my surprise when they informed me that not only did they not have my balloons but they didn't have any other balloons either."

"What kind of a party supply place doesn't have balloons? That's ridiculous."

"I agree. I asked to speak to the manager who was this smart mouth kid barely out of high school. He not so nicely informed me that they had an issue with a supplier and were completely out of stock with all balloons. He didn't seem the least bit apologetic. I told him that he had lost any future business from me, and then I walked out of there."

"So we're having a party without balloons. Ok.", Christian mutters.

"Christian, I'm sure we can find some balloons in the two hours before the party starts.", I tell him. Georgia gently touches the side of his face as if she's trying to soothe his worries.

"I know. I just want the day to be perfect."

"It's perfect. We have the perfect little sweet peas and the perfect life."

"Before I gag on all of this sweetness, I should tell you that Emily's getting the balloons from another place. She'll be here in about an hour or so."

"Why didn't you just say that?", Christian asks. "You made my blood pressure go up for nothing."

"I wanted to build up the suspense.", Elliot answers with a shrug. "What all didn't you buy the girls for their birthday, and yes I said didn't because I've know you."

"You'll have to wait until the party like everyone else. Isn't that right girls?" As the twins and I laugh in unison, Taylor, Gail, and Sawyer come into the living room.

"What time were you planning to start setting up for the party?", Taylor asks.

"Soon.", Christian answers.

"Sawyer and I will move the dining room table out and bring in the smaller tables and chairs. Gail's added some pink and purple ribbons to the side of the the high chairs." Christian and I look at Gail who blushes.

"Gail, that was sweet of you.", I say.

"I thought it would be cute."

"While you all are moving furniture, I'm going to start getting the girls dressed for the party." The twins are wearing white shirts with the words **I'm One Today **along with pink lace tutus. With Georgia in his arms and Raygan still in mine, Christian and I start up the stairs and to the nursery so we can get them ready.

* * *

"Look at this!", Gwen exclaims as she and Ros arrive for the party. She points to the giant pink and purple sign with an arrow and the words **This Way to Georgia and Raygan's Party **"That sign is cute."

"I suppose the sign was your idea.", Ros teases Christian. She and Gwen step on to the porch and into the house where they're bombarded with balloons. "And these too."

"After Elliot's initial plans of getting the balloons fell through, Emily said that she get the balloons. Imagine our surprise when she showed up with a ton of balloons.", I say. "The sweet peas have been playing with some of them while waiting for the party to start." When we get into the living room, Carrick and Grace are tossing balloons towards the twins who are giggling. A balloon then flies from Grace's hands and on to the floor. Georgia reaches for the balloon but can't grasp it from the chair she's holding on to. She then repeats her actions from this morning, but this time she takes a step and gets going until she's at the balloon. "You did it."

"How about that?", Graces sighs with pride. Raygan moves from Carrick and starts towards her sister while everyone looks on. Christian's wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes of his eyes.

"How about what?", Grandmother asks as she and Grandpa join us. She hands two large wrapped boxes to Elliot who takes them towards the dining room where the main festivities are going to take place.

"The girls are walking.", Carrick replies. Grandpa and Grandmother ease down and hug the girls.

"Your parents are going to have their hands full now.", Grandpa laughs. The front door opens once again and in walks Henry, Lea, and Zander whose appears to be getting restless in Henry's arms.

"You guys made it." Christian and I begin hugging them. Henry called earlier and said they weren't sure if they were going to be able to make it in time for the party because of a rain delay at the airport. Sawyer and Taylor move past them and grab the suitcases from the porch.

"You guys can leave those. We'll get them.", Lea tells them.

"It's ok. We've got them.", Taylor replies. "We'll take them to the guest room."

"Luckily the rain cleared out so our flight could depart.", Lea grins as she places Zander on the floor. "He's been getting into everything."

"But he's adorable when he does it.", Henry adds with a laugh.

"Is everyone gathered?", Christian asks from his spot between the girls' high chairs. I scan the room and see everyone looking on with anticipation and cameras in hand. "Ana, baby." I take the hand he has extended to me and slide to his side. "On behalf of Ana, Georgia, and Raygan, I'd like to thank all of you for being here today to share this special occasion. As I was telling Ana earlier, I can't believe that it's been a year since we welcomed these two angels into our lives. Each day is a new adventure, and we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

"It really means a lot to see all of your faces as we celebrate their first birthday.", I add as the girls tap their hands on their high chairs. "How about we have some cake?" Emily and Gail come into the room with the two round, pink iced, chocolate cakes, placing one on the top of each high chair. "Georgia, Raygan, these are your smash cakes. You can put your hands in them and have fun with the icing." They narrow their eyes at the cakes with uncertainty.

"Go ahead and shove your hands in those cakes.", Christian tells them. "Make the biggest mess you can." Georgia and Raygan continue to inspect the cakes before they each finally place a finger in the icing. "You can do better than that."

"Do they need me to show them how to make a destroy a cake?", Elliot laughs until he's elbowed by Grace. "Just trying to help." Georgia finally takes her left hand and slams it into the cake.

"Uh oh.", she mutters. Raygan turns giddy at the fun that her sister is having so she follows and rams her right fist into her cake. She hits it so hard that pieces of cake go flying on to Christian's shirt. He shakes his head in amusement and leans down. The second he does this, she hits the cake again and gets icing on the side of his face.

"Dada.", Raygan coos. Christian looks at her and takes part of her icing,smearing it on his other cheek. He has officially gone to superstar status in their books.

"I hope someone has this on camera.", Henry says.

"I think everyone does.", Ros answers. "Christian, do you mind if I use these images for the company Christmas card?"

"Very funny.", he murmurs through the icing that's now all over his face.

Once Christian and the girls have gotten cleaned up, Christian announces that he wants us to give the girls their gifts before cutting the official cake. We head into the living room closet where we've placed the gifts and then arrive back into the room.

"We got the girls several outfits, but these are two of their larger gifts.", he announces while we place the two Radio Flyer Soft Rock and Bounce Ponies on the floor. Carrick and Grace place the girls on the ponies and then move while Christian and I hold on to the sides. The twins begin bouncing on their new gifts.

"What did you mean when you said two of their larger gifts?", I ask. "I thought these were their large gifts."

"Not exactly. I would have brought the other two gifts inside, but I didn't think you'd like having two ponies in the house."

"As in real ponies? You got them ponies?"

"Yeah. Come on, you knew it was only a matter of time before the sweet peas had their own ponies. I know it's going to be a while before they can ride them, but I wanted to go ahead and get them. Are you mad?" I keep a hand on Raygan's pony while kissing him.

"Cowboy Christian, I can't be mad at you for being a wonderful and loving dad."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"I've got news.", Emily announces once we've slowed down following a rush at the bookstore. Gwen waves goodbye at her departing customer and joins me at the other end of the counter.

"You're pregnant?", Gwen quizes with a grin.

"No. I'm not pregnant."

"You and Elliot have set a date for the wedding.", I chime in.

"You're getting warmer. We're going to set a date...tonight. With his work schedule picking up these last few months and me being busy in helping getting the store up and running we haven't had a chance to do anything wedding wise. I've glanced through some bridal magazines, and we've looked at brochures for possible honeymoons destinations, but that's all we've done. Last night we sat down and decided that we need to start planning. I'm going to pick up dinner on the way home from work, and then we're going to turn off our phones and other distractions so we can start planning."

"Good for you guys. Setting the date will jump-start the process."

"That's what we're thinking. The time of year will help with the decorations and all."

"Are you having the wedding here or in Logan?", Sawyer asks while starting a new brew of coffee at the coffee station we have set up on the right side of the store. It's been a popular part of the new store.

"Don't know although we agree that either place is fine with us. We're even open to having it somewhere tropical."

"Or you could go to Vegas and get married by an Elvis impersonator.", Gwen teases.

"Um no although Elliot's brought that idea up. I, of course, shot it down. One thing I do know is that I refuse to get married by an Elvis impersonator."

"Well, just know we'll be there for you two no matter what.", I say. "I'm going to check on the girls and then send in the order for next week's shipment." I open the door behind the counter which leads to the small nursery that Elliot built for the kids. Slowly making my way to the cribs, I see that Georgia and Raygan are still sound asleep. It's been nice having them with me at work. I quietly pull the desk chair back and sit down at the computer and start entering the product numbers for the books the new shipment. Just as I'm about halfway through, my phone vibrates from my pocket. I pull it out and see a text from Haley.

***How are things?*, **her text reads. Since going on maternity leave, she checks in on a regular basis to make sure things are running smoothly.

***Everything is great. Don't worry. Focus on baby Addison. How is she by the way?***

***She's perfect. I stare at her...a lot. I can't help it though. I love her so much.* **I knew from the moment Haley announced her pregnancy that she and Adam were going to be amazing parents.

***Christian and I are going to try and stop by there later in the week if that's ok.***

***It would be more than ok. I've got a dirty diaper to change. Call me later, ok?***

***Ok. Have fun :D***

* * *

"This day keeps getting better.", Grandmother says as I push the girls' stroller into Fabricoso. She's been working at the fabric store a few days a week for the past few months and is enjoying it immensely. Christian hired Lind Cates, a woman who has twenty years of managerial experience to manage the store, and Mrs. Davenport continues to help when she can.

"Hi. We were on the way home when I realized that I need some more of that pink lace like I bought last week." Even though my sewing skills weren't the best in the beginning, I've been getting better and am now working on yellow and pink polka dot dresses for the girls. The bottoms are going to have a soft pink lace on them.

"How much more do you need?"

"About another yard or so. I can always use it for something else if I have any left over." She goes to the shelf beside me and grabs a roll of the lace, taking to the cutting table to cut off a yard of it. After she finishes, she hands it to me.

"Here you go.", she says before turning her attention to the girls. "How are you two little ladies today? I bet you've been having fun with all of your birthday gifts."

"They've been having a lot of fun with their new toys and have already worn a few of the new outfits they were given. One thing they haven't done however is ride their new ponies." Georgia begins giggling at the mention of the ponies which Christian bought them for their birthday.

"I told Theo the morning of the party that I wouldn't be surprised if Christian got them ponies. He's mentioned several times in the past so I knew it was only a matter of time."

"I just had no idea that he would get them as first birthday gifts.", I sigh. "We've been trying to decide what to name them but haven't had any luck so far."

"I'm sure you'll think of something. Oh, I finally finished the baby blankets last night that I've been working on for Mia and Haley. Mia's is in box on its way to Logan as we speak, and Haley's is in my car. I'm going to drop it off on my way home. I feel bad that I'm just now getting them finished.", she murmurs.

"You've been busy, and I'm fairly certain that Mia and Haley aren't upset about them being late."

"Work does keep me busy, but it's not the only reason my time has been limited. Theo's been a little more ravenous lately. I believe it's because I'm gone during the day so he wants to make it for it at night. I don't have the heart or will power to turn down his advances.", she giggles as I glance at Sawyer whose face resembles Elliot's when he gets embarrassed by Grandmother. "Still, I can't exactly write apology letters to Mia and Haley informing them their blankets are late because Theo's sexual urges are at an all time high."

"It's probably best not to do that."

* * *

"Georgia, come here so I can take your shoes off."

"Uh-uh.", she says, tottering away from me. As expected, she and Raygan have been all over the places since they started walking. Raygan pulls one of the sofa's throw pillows off the sofa and tosses it on to the floor before following her sister to the other side of the room. I stretch my head and see them standing behind the recliner. "Are you sweet peas hiding? Daddy's going to be home soon, and he'll be looking for you."

"I was on the porch and heard my name.", Christian laughs as Taylor closes the door behind them. "Where are the girls?"

"They're hiding." He follows my eyes to the recliner.

"I guess they don't want to see their dear old dad.", he pouts.

"Dada.", Raygan replies. She and Georgia emerge from their hiding spot and pad across the floor to Christian. Christian bends down and picks both girls up in one swoop. "Did you miss me today?" Instead of answering him, both of place their mouths on the side of his face. He laughs and sits down in the recliner with them. "How was your day Mrs. Grey?"

"It was good. We had a rush this morning at the store and then another after lunch. I stopped by Fabricoso for some more lace for the girls' dresses."

"Was Grandmother working?"

"She was.", I answer. "She really likes that job."

"I'm glad. Everyone should do what they love. No one should be stuck in a job which they hate."

"How about you? Do you love your job?"

"Despite the fact that it's stressful and demanding, I love what I do. Of course that love is no where near the amount of love I have for my girls. If I were to wake up tomorrow morning and not have GEH, I would be more than ok. I'd still be the richest and most blessed man in the world.", he grins as my phone rings from the small table next to him. I stand from the sofa and kiss him and the girls before picking up the phone up.

"It's Lea.", I say. She and Henry just left yesterday to head back to Logan following their visit for the twins' party. "Lea, hey."

"Hi. Henry and I were having dinner and started talking about certain things.", she says. "I was going to tell you when we were there, but we hadn't made a decision on whether or not on if or when we were going to tell people. Anyway, you're my best friend and have been for as long as I can remember so I'm going to go ahead and tell you. You can tell Christian as well."

"Ok. What is it?"

"As you know, Henry and I agreed to try for another baby once Zander turned one which was five months ago. Well, our trying has paid off. I'm pregnant." I had my suspicions when they were here and I heard Lea getting sick in the bathroom, but she brushes it off. Christian cocks his head and watches as a wide grin spreads across my face.

"Lea, I'm so happy for you and Henry. You're amazing parents to Zander and will be equally amazing parents to the new baby."

"Thanks. We're excited. Henry's already talking to my stomach. I'm going to check on Zander."

"Congratulations again.", I smile before hanging up.

"A new baby?", Christian asks.

"A new baby. Georgia, Raygan, Zander's going to be a big brother."

"Do you two want to be big sisters somewhere down the road?", Christian asks them. Georgia pulls on the bow in her hair while Raygan places her thumb in her mouth. "I believe they're thinking about it."

"Good job putting them on the spot."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Shh, don't wake Mommy." I open an eye and see Christian tucking Georgia and Raygan into the middle of our bed.

"Mama.", Raygan says, reaching for me. A loud clap of thunder sends both her and Georgia into tears. I quickly raise up in the bed and pull Raygan closer to me as Christian does the same with Georgia.

"I got up for some water and then went to check on the girls. They woke up just as the bottom fell out of the sky. I thought it would be best if they were in here with us." Christian never ceases to amaze me in his caring and loving of the girls. The baby discussion hasn't been brought up since the other night, but I wonder what his true thoughts are on the subject.

"You thought right.", I whisper as the Raygan yawns. "Mommy and Daddy will protect you girls from the big bad thunder. You're safe and sound in here." Christian shifts on to his side and props himself up on his elbows while we watch the sweet peas fight their slumber.

"Go back to sleep." Although he turns the lamp on the nightstand off, I can still feel his eyes on me. "You too Mrs. Grey. You've got work tomorrow.", he murmurs with a yawn.

"Look who's talking. Don't forget our date tomorrow night."

"I'm looking forward to it. Goodnight baby."

"Goodnight."

* * *

"Where are the girls?", Gwen asks when Sawyer and I arrive at work the following morning.

"Christian's grandmother had the day off from the fabric store so she's helping Gail watch them.

"I'm sure they'll have a lot of fun." I go behind the counter and open the office door, tossing my purse on to the desk. "Did you hear it storming last night?"

"Yeah. Christian brought Georgia and Raygan into our room. I watched the news before going to bed and only saw a slight chance of rain with no mention of anything severe."

"Ros and I were up late watching a movie, but our electricity ended up going off. It's not fun trying to find candles or flashlights in the dark. I actually think I may have broken a toe when I hit it against the kitchen table. By the time I finally found a flash light, the electricity was back on."

"Zoe and I were in the same boat with the power going out.", Sawyer adds. Well, it didn't take us that long to find candles though since we already had some out from the dinner I made." Both Gwen and I look at him and grin. "I know it sweet, huh?"

"A little.", I reply.

"Zoe's been busy with her new job, and I figured the least I could do was cook dinner." Gwen moves in front of him and playfully pats the sides of his face.

"You did good.", she laughs. "Where's Emily?"

"I think I just saw Elliot's truck turn pull into the parking lot." Despite Emily and Elliot's plan to set a wedding date the other night, they weren't able to come up with one. Elliot and Emily get out of his truck and begin heading towards the store with bags and drink trays in their hand. Sawyer unlocks and opens the door to help them. "Good morning. You two have your hands full." Both of them sigh and place their items on the counter.

"We brought everyone breakfast. There's bacon and biscuits and coffee. Help yourselves."

"Elliot, Emily, you guys were nice for getting us breakfast, but I don't like bacon.", Sawyer shrugs. "Thanks anyway."

"You don't like bacon? How could you not like bacon? Everyone likes bacon!", Elliot exclaims.

"Chill. I was messing with you. I love bacon. I don't think there's a wrong way to eat it." The shock in Elliot's face is replaced by relief. He opens one of the bags and hands a wrapped bacon and biscuit to Sawyer. "Thanks man."

"Yeah thank you.", I tell Elliot and Emily. "Does this have anything to do with a possible wedding date being set?"

"It does.", Emily replies. Elliot snakes his arms around her waist, pulling her as close as possible to him. "We've decided to get married in August. It's three months away and gives us time to plan the wedding which is going to be in Logan. It's not going to be an extravagant event, but it's going to be our dream wedding."

* * *

"Gail, have you seen Christian? He was upstairs getting ready when I went to take my shower, but when I came out of the bedroom, he was no where to be found.", I say as I blow kisses at Georgia and Raygan who are busy playing in the living room floor.

"He came in here about ten minutes ago and then went into the kitchen. I haven't seen him since." I crinkle my nose and head to the kitchen, seeing no signs of Christian. Taylor, however, is standing at the counter with a bottle of water in his hands.

"Gail said Christian came in here."

"Um, he did.", Taylor stammers. "But he was only in here for a few minutes."

"He couldn't have vanished into thin air. Where did he go?", I ask. Taylor's about to speak when the door bell rings. I move back towards the living room and see Christian standing on the other side of the door. In his hand is a bouquet of pink roses. He's dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a white button up shirt that makes me almost forget my name. _Swoon!_

"Hi.", he says to Gail. "I'm here to pick up Ana." He actually looks nervous as Gail steps aside for him to enter the house. The twins spot him and immediately go to him. "Hello pretty ladies. I'm going to take Ana out on a date tonight." The girls are naturally confused so he bends down to eye level with them. "Your mommy."

"Mama.", Georgia giggles. I decide to ease into the room and make my presence known.

"Hello.", I smile at him. He returns my smile and remains silently planted to his spot. I snap my finger to wake him up from his daze.

"Sorry.", he murmurs while handing me the flowers. "These are for you."

"Thank you. They're beautiful." I inhale the delightful scent of the roses as he stares at me.

"Why don't I put those in some water?", Gail suggests. I nod and hand her the roses.

"Are you ready?", Christian asks.

"Yes. Let me just say goodbye to Georgia and Raygan." I pick up Georgia while he picks up Raygan. "You girls be good tonight. Mommy and Daddy love you."

"We love you very much." We kiss and hug the girls for several minutes before finally putting them down.

* * *

"I still don't understand why you wanted to blindfold me.", I pout during our drive to our destination. Christian doesn't say anything, but I know he's enjoying himself. "Just because I can't see you doesn't mean that I don't know you're amused."

"Oh Mrs. Grey, you're so cute. You can take the blindfold off in a few minutes."

"Fine. Sawyer, I know you're smiling too."

"Not all.", Sawyer mumbles from the driver's seat. I feel the SUV turn to the left and then to the right. "We're here." I start to untie my blindfold, but Christian places his hand on mine.

"Allow me.", he whispers. When I'm finally able to see, I'm met by his piercing gray eyes. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I guess not." I look out my window and see that we're in the parking lot of West Seattle Bowl. "We're bowling."

"If you want to. I wanted us to have a nice but fun evening, and it's been a while since I've been bowling. We can go somewhere else if you'd like."

"I'd like to bowl." I lean over and take his face in my hands, smashing my lips on to his. After we break away, he jumps out and hurries to my side to open the door. "Thank you." Hooking my arm in his, we head into the bowling alley.

"I went ahead and reserved a lane in case you said yes.", he smiles. I then notice that Sawyer holding a bag in his hand. "I also brought shoes for us since I don't want to use the ones half of Seattle has worn."

"I like your way of thinking." I sit down in one of the chairs and change my shoes which in no way match the floral print sun dress I'm wearing. Christian's changed his shoes and rolled up his sleeves. "Are you ready?"

"What do you think?", he smirks. I brush against him and pick up a bowling ball while feeling his eyes on me. "Show me what you've got." I stand in the middle of the lane and release the ball from my grasp. It rolls towards the pins and knocks all of them down. "A strike on your first try. Impressive."

"Now your turn." I stand back and watch Christian repeat my movements. Like me, he also gets a strike. "I think we're having a lucky night."

"Baby, I've been having lucky nights and days since meeting you."

Following a round of bowling, we sit down and enjoy the assortment of food which Christian had brought to our lane. The tray includes mini burgers, nachos, and pizza. We watch a family two lanes over who are bowling. The daughter who appears to be around ten jumps up in excitement when she hits all but one pin.

"I can already picture Georgia and Raygan as they bowl.", Christian says. "That reminds me. I saw some toy bowling sets at the toy store a few weeks ago. Maybe we can get them one when they're a little older."

"They'd like that. I've got a feeling you'll have a bowling alley built inside the house if they ask."

"Perhaps. I wanted to talk about our short conversation the other night, the one where about a baby."

"What about it?", I ask before crunching into a nacho.

"Even though I told the girls down the road, I still feel as if I put pressure on you which I didn't intend. You're even busier now with the bookstore and taking care of the twins. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Like you said, I'm busier now with work, but it should slow down once Haley gets back. Although the girls are getting into more things, I love chasing after them."

"They're a tad mischievous, huh?", he grins. He picks up his soda and takes a drink.

"What would you say if I told you that I want to have my IUD taken out?" Soda spews from his mouth at my question. "Ok, that was just a hypothetical question to see how you'd react. Now that I know, let's talk about something else. Elliot and Emily's wedding will be here before we know it, and Emily's wanting Georgia and Raygan to be the flower girls. I think they'll be adorable. What do you think?"

"I think your hypothetical question wasn't meant to be hypothetical. You were serious about having the IUD taken out." Christian's right, but his reaction instantly made me change my tune.

"Even if I was, it doesn't mean it's going to happen anytime soon. Down the road is what we have planned." He inches forward in his chair and places his hand on my knee.

"You and I both know very well that plans change."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Mia, these overalls are so cute." Thomas, Mia and Mark's two month old son, is wearing a pair of denim overalls with the words Little Cowboy on the front.

"Aren't they?" She smiles lovingly at the baby who's resting comfortably in my arms. She and I are sitting in the sun room of her and Mark's house in Logan. Christian and I arrived in town with the girls late last night and are staying until tomorrow evening. "Mark's mom got them for him last week. He already had three other pairs, but they're completely different. I'm glad you and Christian were able to visit this weekend."

"Me too. Christian's been working long hours on a deal with a software company, but this weekend is all about resting and relaxing."

"I was at the grocery store the other day and saw Lea. She told me that she's pregnant. Actually, I kind of forced it out of her when I saw that she was had three jars of pickles in her cart. She denied it at first but ended up admitting that she and Henry are having another baby. Did you already know?"

"Yeah. She told me about two weeks ago. It's great. She and Henry had planned to try for another baby once Zander turned one." Thomas begins kicking his little feet. "Are you trying to get away from me. I bet you want your mom." Mia stands and takes the baby from my arms.

"While we're on the subject of having babies...", Mia murmurs, cocking her head at me.

"I'm not pregnant.", I scoff. Even though I'm not pregnant yet, Christian and I made the decision the night of our bowling date two weeks ago to start trying once I had my IUD removed. Even though Dr. Greene was able to remove it over a week ago, our trying has been limited due to exhaustion from work and the girls.

"I know you're not...yet. I also know you're either thinking about or already trying."

"And what makes you think that?"

"I just noticed how Christian looked at you earlier. He had the look of a man who's wanting another baby. So, fess up. Am I right?", she asks.

"You're right. We only recently decided to start trying."

"The girls will be great big sisters."

"Who knew these two had so much energy.", Mark sighs as he and Christian lead Georgia and Raygan into the room. Both Christian and Mark fall back on to the wicker sofa, but Georgia and Raygan remain tottering around on the floor. "What are they up to?"

"Snooping.", Christian laughs. "The sweet peas love prowling and exploring."

"Another thing we have to look forward to.", Mia says. "Did you guys have fun outside?"

"They played for a while but stopped once they saw a baby squirrel by one of the trees. Then they sat down and just watched him."

"I thought for a minute they were going to go after him, but they kept their distance.", Mark adds. Georgia glances over at me and yawns.

"I think someone needs a nap. Raygan, are you sleepy?"

"No.", she mumbles through a yawn.

"How about we go home and get a nap before going to dinner tonight?", Christian asks them as we stand and pick the girls up. "Can you wave bye bye?" With their eyes concentrated on Thomas, the twins wave.

* * *

After getting back to the house and laying Georgia and Raygan down for their naps, Christian heads downstairs to check on his emails while I decide to take advantage of the quiet time. I curl my hair and spray some perfume on before removing my clothes. The only piece of clothing I have left on is a silk navy blue robe which stops just above the knee. I reach for my phone and send a text to Christian.

***I need your help with something in the bedroom. Come ASAP* **

I hold the phone in my hand and wait for him to text back. Nothing. Instead I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. My heart beats a little faster with each step I hear. Finally the door opens and a confused looking Christian strides into the room.

"What did you need help with and why are you wearing a robe?" I toss my phone on the top of the dresser and pad across the floor.

"I think the bigger question is why are you wearing so many clothes.", I whisper against his ear. I lightly draw a trail with my finger down his chest, stopping at the zipper of his jeans. "The girls are asleep so we should take advantage. Don't you agree?"

"God yes.", he murmurs. I move my hand down a little and feel him hardening through the denim of his jeans. He grabs the nape of my neck and pulls me into a fiery kiss. With our lips still

"Why are you wearing a robe?" I pad across the floor and tug lightly on his belt loop.

"I think the bigger question is why are you wearing so many clothes?", I whisper against into his ear. I step back and slowly untie the sash of my robe. His eyes are ravenous as the robe falls opens. "Like what you see?"

"Yes." He reaches forward and slides the garment from my body. "I like very much." He bends down and places a series of tender kisses on to my right breast, sucking on my nipple briefly before switching to my left breast.

"Mmm.", I moan. My hands are pulling at his hair as he continues his sensuous moves. He stops and smirks. I'm now the one in a catatonic state while slowly begins undressing before me.

"How about you? Do you like what you see?", he asks huskily once all he has left on is his boxers. His erection only makes me even more moist.

"Yes.", I stammer. I yank the boxers down and wrap my hand around his shaft, giving him a few strokes before having my hand pushed away. When his eyes go to the bed, I know exactly why he stopped. He lifts me up and places me on the bed. I'm panting with need while he stands in front of the bed. "Christian."

"Oh I suppose you want me to join you." I answer by throwing a pillow at him. He laughs and crawls up the bed. My body is soon blanketed by his. He peppers kisses along my neck and up towards my mouth. As our lips meet, the heat in the room and between us rises. He positions himself at my opening and eases inside me. He goes in as deep as possible and starts moving his body in sync with mine. He stops for a second and pulls my legs up over his shoulders, hitting me in all the right places.

"Oh good. Feels so good.", I murmur. The sound of our bodies slapping together is the only noise in the room.

"I'm already close.", he pants. I reach up and wipe away a drop a sweat from his forehead while nearing my release.

"Me too." He picks up his pace, pushing me over the edge. I smile at him and tighten my hold on him to encourage him in his own search.

"I love you." Those three words are all it takes for him to spill inside me.

"I love you too."

* * *

"This homemade ice cream is the best.", Sawyer says as he takes a bite of his the strawberry ice cream that I've just made. "Don't you agree Taylor?"

"Definitely.", Taylor replies. He and Sawyer each make airplane sounds while bringing spoons towards the girls. Georgia looks at her sister and then back at the spoon before taking a bite. "Good, huh?" Raygan decides to try it and takes a bite from the spoon Sawyer has offered to her. I look behind me and still see no sign of Christian who went to take a call several minutes ago. His bowl of ice cream remains sitting untouched on the counter.

"Would you guys watch the twins for a few minutes while I go and check on Christian?"

"Sure." I grin at Georgia and Raygan who are too busy with their ice cream to see me leave the room. I head up the stairs and to the bedroom where Christian is pacing the floor with his phone to his ear.

"I'll see you then.", he sighs. He shoves his phone into his pocket and runs his hands through his hair, unaware of my presence until the wood floor creaks with my step. When he turns around, I see frustration.

"What's the matter?"

"I've got to head back to Seattle tonight. The CEO of the Elmore Corporation wants a face to face meeting tomorrow morning to renegotiate some of the terms of our deal."

"A meeting on a Sunday? You've been working almost round the clock and need a break. Why can't he schedule the meeting for Monday?"

"I tried to convince him, but he's leaving for London on Monday and wants things ironed out before he leaves." I should be more understanding that Christian has work to tend to, but I'm upset that the work is tearing him away from our family time. I move away from him and towards the window. I can feel his eyes on me as I stare out of the glass towards the barn where we made love for the first time and again on our wedding night. "I know you don't understand, but please don't give me the cold shoulder over this."

"See you're wrong. I do understand. I understand that work is important for you so don't accuse me of not doing so. The last thing I need is for you to make assumptions." I turn back around to face him.

"You're absolutely right.", he murmurs while tossing his hands up. "If it makes you feel any better, I hate that I'm taking time away from you and the girls."

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?", I scoff. "I'm going back downstairs. Your ice cream is probably a milkshake by now, but you can get some more." I move past him but stop just before getting to the door. "I already told Lea that we would come over tomorrow so Georgia and Raygan can play with Zander. Would it be ok if we stayed until tomorrow evening?"

"Of course, but are you sure that you'll be able to take care of both girls on your own?"

"I'm sure. I've got Taylor and Sawyer here."

"I'll have the plane come back for all of you tomorrow evening."

* * *

A brief rain shower starts the next day, but by midmorning, the sun is out. It's a beautiful day as the girls and I head to Lea and Henry's house before heading back to Seattle. Lea and I are sitting in the yard swing while Henry and Sawyer chase Georgia, Raygan, and Zander.

"It's a shame that Christian had a meeting.", Lea says, picking up her glass of iced tea.

"A shame.", I mutter. I could see in his eyes that he didn't want to leave last night, but it still hurts not having him here.

"I take it your lack of words is because of that."

"Lack of words? I've been talking." She rolls her eyes and take another drink. "I just wish that he could have stayed here with us. He also made a comment that kind of irked me even though I didn't tell him."

"What did he say?", she asks.

"That I wouldn't understand him having to go back. In a way I wonder if he meant that I wouldn't understand since I don't have the huge career."

"Ana, I'm sure that he didn't mean to insult you." I stare ahead at the twins who are pulling on the grass. "You should tell him how you're feeling. Believe me I don't hold back from Henry." Henry overhears Lea and nods. "He may not always like what I have to say, but he hears it."

"Oh yeah.", he laughs. "But I appreciate that she does talk about her feelings. I do the same with her." He looks over at Zander who's about to put dirt in his mouth. "Uh no son. That's not to eat." Luckily he's able to stop Zander before he eats the dirt.

"Zander loves playing in the dirt.", Lea says.

"So do the twins. I think they get that from me. I used to love playing in the dirt and mud. I don't want to brag, but I was kind of an expert at mud pies.", I giggle. "My dad found me in the middle of a pile of mud one day when I was about seven. I thought I was going to be grounded. Instead he got in the mud and started helping me make mud pies."

"Good times."

* * *

"Hey. You're home.", Christian says when he finds me in the nursery. He texted me during the plane ride home and said that he was still at the office but hopefully wouldn't be home late.

"We're home." He tiptoes to the the cribs and looks down at the girls who are already fast asleep. "They fell asleep just after we got home. Gail helped me lay them down." He bends down and kisses Georgia and Raygan softly on their cheeks. "Did you get things situated at work?" I motion for him to follow me out of the room.

"I think so. Bart Elmore is tough guy. Getting him to budge just a little is near impossible, but I was able to convince him to stay with some of the details of the original deal."

"Good. I'd hate to think your early return was for nothing." He trails behind me into the bedroom and watches as I begin to lay out my pajamas. "I have something to talk to you about."

"What is it?", he asks as he takes my hand in his.

"I'm probably going to sound silly when I tell you, but I need to tell you. When you said that I wouldn't understand you having to leave, it upset in more ways than you know. It brought up some feelings that I didn't realize I had until now."

"Ana, you're scaring me. Talk to you."

"It just made me wonder if I'm an equal in this marriage. Sure I work at the bookstore, but you and I both know that it's not as important of a job as yours. Your words sunk in and..." He runs his hands through his hair and sits down on the bed, pulling me into his lap. "I love you and our life, but it made me feel like I did when I first arrived in Seattle. I felt dependent on you."

"You're not. Anastasia Grey, don't you dare feel like that. You are my equal in everything. When I look at you, I see the other part of me. Your job at the bookstore is one that you love and enjoy. Another thing you do is take care of the girls. I try to be there for them as much as I can, but it's you who's there most of the time. I wish more than anything I could spend more time with them and you."

"See that's another reason I was so upset about you leaving. I wanted you to have that time. Your work may be important, but I don't want you to tire yourself out from it."

"Although this deal has the potential of bringing in over three hundred jobs, I told Elmore that I'm not going to bend over backwards for him. I complied this time, but it won't become a habit. I've got a family who needs me." He rubs his nose against mine. "I missed you being in my arms last night."

"I missed being in your arms. We can make up for it tonight though. You haven't had dinner, have you?"

"Not yet. Have you?", he asks.

"I had half of a turkey sandwich but could eat again."

"How about I make us some grilled cheeses? We can eat and then get some sleep." I stand from his lap and stretch my arms. "You look tired."

"I'm a little tired, but I'm not too tired to work on our little project." His eyes light up as he jumps up from the bed. "What do you say?"

"Heck yeah. A thought crossed my mind. Even though Elliot's secondary office is now in the old bookstore location, we could use it. I am the owner of the building after all. We can see if lightning strikes twice."

"And end up with a second set of twins?"

"Eh. We could have triplets, and I'd be fine.", he shrugs.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: We're skipping ahead about a month in this chapter. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"How does it feel to be back?" I can see Haley pondering my question while her eyes remain fixed on the computer screen in front of her.

"I'm happy to be back, but I also wish I could be home. I used to thrive on working, but I guess I got so used to being home with Addison." Her eyes finally come up from the screen and fixate on the framed set of Addison's footprints. "It's just my first day back, and I'm sure it'll get easier."

"It will. Having Addison in good hands will also make it easier." Uncle Kenneth's sister Louise is watching Addison while Haley and Adam work although Haley's planning to bring her to the store a few days. Now that she's back, Emily and I are back to our schedule of taking turns working shifts at the store. She's helping Gail with the twins today.

"How did Georgia and Raygan do when you left them this morning?", Haley asks.

"They waved bye and then went back to playing. I guess I wasn't expecting them to be so ok with me leaving.", I pout.

"They're at the age where they're going to do what they want, but that doesn't mean they don't miss you. So...Adam's going this evening to get Addison's name on his arm. He swore he wouldn't get any more tattoos, but how could I tell him no to getting our daughter's name?"

"It's very sweet."

"I came home from the store the other day and overheard him talking to her. He was telling how loved she is and how she's changed our lives." Adam's very much like Christian when it comes to the undeniable love for our children. I'm tempted to tell Haley about Christian and I trying for another baby, but I'm keeping my lips sealed. Project Baby Making as Christian deemed it has now been going on for a little over a month and has been more than fun. The visit I paid to his office yesterday resulted in a broken lamp and papers being strewn on the floor, but it was more than worth it. "Why are you smiling?"

"Huh?"

"You had this Cheshire Cat grin on your face." I was too wrapped up in remembering yesterday's events that I forgot Haley was sitting across from me.

"I uh...was just thinking about this joke I heard on the radio yesterday.", I stammer. She looks like she's about to ask for the joke, but luckily Gwen saves me by opening the door.

"I need an opinion on the new display at the front.", Gwen says.

"I'll help." Standing up, I'm hit by dizziness. I brace the chair arms and ease to my feet.

"Ana, are you all right?", Haley asks.

"I'm fine. I just stood too fast." Is it possible there's more going on? Could I be pregnant? I make a mental note to pick up a test on the way home.

* * *

"Sweet peas, I'm home." They're sitting in the middle of the living room and sound as if they're in the middle of a conversation. They stop jabbering and grin at me before going back to their talk. "Ok. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"They appear to be in the middle of an important discussion.", Emily laugh from the sofa. "How was work?"

"We were steady." I keep a tight grasp on my purse although it's zipped up to hide the bag from the pharmacy. I notice a bridal magazine on the coffee table. "Been looking for a dress?"

"I may have found the perfect one, but I'm not sure. I also looked over some dresses for the bridesmaids. What do you think about aqua blue dresses?"

"Aqua blue is a beautiful color. Is that what you're going with?", I ask before kissing the girls on the top of their heads. Haley reaches for the magazine and opens it to a page she had marked.

"This is what I had in mind." She points to a picture of a haltered top dress with a sash on the side. "What do you think?"

"Emily, it's pretty. The more important question is what do you think? It's your wedding."

"I really like the dress. It's simple yet gorgeous which is what we're going for with the wedding."

"Ana, hey.", Gail says as she joins us. "I was throwing some clothes in the washer. The bookstore must have been busy today. You look utterly exhausted."

"I didn't sleep well last night.", I lie.

"I should get going. Georgia, Raygan, I'll see you little ladies later.", Emily tells them.

After Emily leaves, I ask Gail to watch the girls while I go upstairs and shower. I'm also planning on taking the pregnancy test. I pull the test from my purse and prepare to head into the bathroom. I haven't called Christian to tell him that I bought the test since I don't want to get his hopes up. I'm about to head to the bathroom when I hear someone coming up the stairs. I rush and open the door to see who it. As soon as I get the door open, I find Emily standing in the hallway. Her eyes go instantly to the test in my hand.

"I was halfway home when I realized that I forgot to ask if I can borrow your yellow three-quarters sleeve blouse. Elliot and I are going out, and I thought it the blouse would look good with my black skirt."

"Sure. Let me get it for you." I pad to the closet and find the blouse she's referring to. "Here you go." Now both of her eyes are on the test. "I bought this because I thought I might be...but I'm probably not."

"You won't know until you take it. Do you want to stay while you do?", she asks.

"You need to get home and get ready.", I shrug, swaying back and forth.

"Elliot won't be home for another two hours. I have all the time in the world."

"Yeah. You can stay." She follows me to the bathroom where I nervously begin opening the box.

"I didn't know you guys were trying." Even though we told Lea and Henry, we haven't told the rest of our family and friends.

"We only started a little over a month ago. Here we go." Emily steps out of the bathroom while I take the test. Once done, I wash my hands and open the door. "The waiting is the worst part."

"You and Christian are already the amazing parents to Georgia and Raygan, and I know you'll be great with a new baby." Neither of us says anything else during the excruciating wait for the alarm on my phone to go off, but three minutes later, it finally does.

"Will you read the results for me?"

"All right." Emily picks up the test and studies it.

"What does it say?", I ask Emily. She looks up at me and then back at the test in silence. If it were positive she would be smiling, but her lack of words says everything.

"It's negative."

"Oh. I was almost certain that it was positive, but I guess better luck next time, huh? We've barely begun so the time will come for us." I turn and stagger back into the bedroom while Emily remains in the bathroom doorway.

"You're such an optimist, but your time has come." I dash back to her and look at the test which has two lines. "You're pregnant."

"I'm pregnant.", I murmur. "Why do you tell me it was negative?"

"I saw an episode of Friends where Phoebe did the same to Rachel. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry."

"It's ok." I wipe away tears and glance at photos of Georgia and Raygan that line the walls. "Another baby."

* * *

"Ugh.", Christian groans when he arrives home. "If it weren't for the jobs being created by this deal with Bart Elmore I would tell him to take his idea and..."

"Dada.", Georgia smiles from the kitchen doorway. She toddles into the room with Raygan behind her.

"There's the two little girls who know how to make my day better. Where you good for Miss Gail and Aunt Emily today?"

"No.", Raygan answers.

"No? Why not?"

"Gail said they were good. The sweet peas just love saying no.", I laugh.

"And joking with dear old dad.", Christian says. He cocks his head and smirks. "You're up to something."

"Me? Why do you say that?", I scoff. "I'm going upstairs for a second. I'll be right back." I want to get the pregnancy test which is wrapped in a box on the dresser.

"Or I can go upstairs too. Georgia, Raygan, do you want to go upstairs?" The twins look at me and grin.

"Tay.", Georgia replies.

"Of all the times for you not to say no. All right, we'll all go upstairs." I pick up Georgia while Christian picks up Raygan. After making it upstairs, I suddenly become anxious. I open the bedroom door and stop by the bed, placing Georgia down on top of the comforter. Christian gently places Raygan next to her.

"I think I see why you didn't want me to follow you up here." Christian points to the box. "Ana, did you buy me a gift?"

"Not exactly." I pick up the box hand it to him. "It's a gift for both of us." My eyes go past him and land on the girls. "Well for all of us."

"Now I've got to know what's in here?", he says as he opens it. His eyes are consumed with tears while staring at the contents. "It's positive."

"It is. You know what that means." He sets the test back on the dresser and picks me up, taking me to the bed where he settles me down next to the girls who are giggling at their dad. He stares down at us before getting on the bed.

"It means we're having another baby. Georgia, Raygan, you're going to be big sisters."

"Tay.", Georgia says.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Hi little one. I'm your dad. We're just starting to get to know each other, but I want you to know that your mommy, sisters, and I already love you very much."

"This is one of my favorite parts of pregnancy.", I whisper to Christian who's snuggled next to my stomach. "You're an amazing father."

"And you're an amazing mother. We've got a great life that only keep getting better. Don't you agree?" I run my fingers through his hair and smile in agreement. "Ros asked me yesterday why I looked like I had won the lottery, and even though I was tempted to tell her about the baby, I simply answered that I'm happy. It wasn't a lie though."

"Emily's done a good job so far with not telling anyone, and I know it's got to be hard for her to keep the news from Elliot." After learning two weeks ago that we're having another baby, Christian and I made the decision to not announce our new addition until the second trimester. We're seeing Dr. Greene tomorrow to officially confirm the pregnancy and find out how far along I am.

"I was leery at first, not sure if Emily would be able to stay quiet. Elliot's good at reading people and when they're hiding something. She's done good though." He rolls over and looks at the clock. "Ugh, it's almost time to get up which I don't want to do, but I've got to get up and start getting ready. Have you all decided where you're going tonight?" Adam finally convinced Haley to go out and have a night to herself while he watches Addison. Emily and I are taking her to dinner after she gets off work.

"Not yet although I'm kind of in the mood for something spicy." Christian's ears perk up at my response. "I should clarify myself. Spicy food." He crawls up in the bed and pouts. "Now I see where Georgia and Raygan get their pouting from.", I giggle until his lips meet mine. We stay glued together until I break away. "Come on Grey."

* * *

"Girls, Mommy has no idea which one of these looks best. What do you think?" Georgia and Raygan are snuggled on my sides as I sit on the sofa with the laptop stationed on a fold up table in front of me. I'm off from the bookstore today but told Haley I would try and see if I could come up with a layout for the store's website we're launching. Georgia looks over me and at her sister who starts laughing. "You don't know which to use, huh?"

"No.", Raygan answers.

"I think it's time for a break. I close the laptop and pull the girls into my lap, smothering them with kisses. "Guess what? You're going to have a brother or sister soon. He or she won't be able to play right away, but when they get bigger, you'll have lots of fun."

"Down.", Georgia mumbles while wiggling. I ease her and Raygan on the floor where they sit and start playing with their dolls Christian bought them. Gail comes into the room with a cup in her hand.

"You look like you could use some tea.", she says as she hands me the cup.

"You read my mind. Thank you." She sits down in the chair across from me and smiles at the girls. "They love those dolls." Both Georgia and Raygan are cuddling with their dolls. It makes me wonder if this is how they're going to be when the new baby comes.

"Ana, it might not be any of my business, but are you feeling ok? I heard you in the bathroom this morning." The entire not telling people about the baby also includes Gail, Taylor, and Sawyer although I feel guilty about it.

"I'm feeling fine. Work's been busier lately, and the girls are all over the place."

"Still, you need to take care of yourself."

"Gail, I'm pregnant.", I blurt out. "And now I feel bad for telling you since we were going to hold off, but I hated not telling you. It does feel good to tell someone else though."

"I already knew.", she says.

"How?"

"Your exhaustion and nausea plus you and Christian have the same giddy looks on your faces that you had when you were pregnant with the twins."

"Here we were thinking we were being conspicuous.", I laugh. "Besides you and Christian of course, Emily knows. She caught me when I was about to take the test."

"My lips are sealed."

* * *

"Am I going to have to confiscate your phone?", Emily asks Haley who's texting in between bites during our dinner at Canlis.

"I'm just asking Adam if he got Addison to sleep. She was fussy earlier." She finishes texting and places the phone on the table. "There. I'm sorry if I'm not very good company."

"You're fine.", I assure her. "It's natural to be worried."

"I'm not as bad as I was last week when Adam's parents watched the baby while Adam and I went to dinner. We were only a few blocks away, but it felt like we were on the other side of the country. Adam was trying to be sly by having his phone in lap, and I was just as bad by making excuses to go to the restroom."

"I'm glad you agreed to have dinner with us.", Emily says, taking a bite of her pasta. "It's nice to have a night with two of my best friends. It would have been nice if Gwen would have been able to join us as well."

"It would have, but Ros wanted them to spend some time together."

"Mia and Mark are going to be in town in a few weeks. I figure we could go to the bridal shop. That dress is lovely on the page of the magazine, but seeing it in person and trying it on are different." Emily showed Haley and Gwen the photo of the aqua blue bridesmaid dress she likes while emailing the same photo to Mia. Like me, the three of them believe it's beautiful and a great choice.

As Emily and Haley continue talking about the wedding, I feel an uneasiness in my stomach. The feeling builds, and I jump from my seat, dashing to the restroom. The door hits the wall with a loud thud as I search for an empty stall, but every one is occupied. Thankfully, an elderly woman steps from the on in the end. I fly into the stall and empty all of my stomach contents. The vomiting comes to a halt but leaves me weak.

"Here you go.", Emily says from beside me while handing a wet paper towel.

"Thanks.", I mutter. "I don't think I want to look at any more of my food."

"Is she ok?", Haley asks from the sink.

"She's fine. I think it was something she ate.", Emily fibs. I slowly stand and start cleaning myself up. "That salsa didn't agree with me either."

"I'm pregnant.", I blurt out for the second time today, regretting it as soon as the words are out of my mouth. "Ugh, what's wrong with me. I have no self control when it comes to keeping it a secret." I didn't tell Christian that Gail now knows, and now I've told one more person.

"Ana, it's ok.", Haley says. "Your excitement is getting the best of you."

* * *

"The girls went to bed without a hitch.", Christian says after I arrive home. I toss my purse towards the recliner, but it lands on the floor instead. Before I have a chance to pick it up, he grabs it and places it in its intended spot. "Are you all right?"

"I'm tired and feeling like blah." He helps me on to the sofa with him.

"Did you have a nice evening?"

"It was nice. Christian, I need to tell you something."

"What?" I lean further back on the sofa and close my eyes. "Ana?"

"I told Gail about the baby earlier today. Then I told Haley tonight.", I groan. "I'm sorry. I know we weren't going to tell anyone, but I keep telling people."

"It's ok.", he laughs.

"Ok? Aren't you upset that I went against what we agreed on?"

"One, I'd never be upset about something like that. Two, you're not the only one who's told people. I told Taylor yesterday and then Sawyer this morning."

"Neither of them have shown any signs of knowing."

"They're good at hiding it. My mom called earlier to say hi, and I put the phone on speaker so the girls could hear. Raygan said baby. I tried to cover by saying they were playing with their baby dolls, but Mom said she wasn't buying it. She then put Dad on the phone and waited for me to give in and tell them the truth."

"Basically everyone knows except for Elliot and Mia."

"About Elliot...Remember how we thought Emily had done a good job at not telling him? We were wrong. Emily told him, but he's been doing a good job at not letting us know that he knows."

"Here I've been upset about telling people when most them already knew.", I giggle. "I feel better though."

* * *

"Ana, Christian, I had a feeling I'd be seeing you two again sooner rather than later. How about you lay back and we can get started?" I've already given a urine sample and had my blood taken, and now Dr. Greene's about to do a transvaginal ultrasound. Christian and I are holding hands while looking at the screen. "There we go." Dr. Greene points to a small dot on the screen. "That's your baby. Judging from the size, I'm guessing you're about six weeks."

"It's only a dot right now, but it's a precious dot.", I say softly.

"Dr. Greene, do you see any more dots?", Christian asks. "With the girls, we didn't see the second baby initially. Could another baby or two be hiding? Maybe they're playing hide and seek. Now that I think of it, that's probably why Georgia and Raygan love playing that game so much."

"It's possible one could be hiding, but if you look to the left of the dot." She moves the transducer slightly and once again points to...another dot. "You'll see the second baby."

"We're having twins again?", I murmur in shock.

"You are. I'm going to give you guys some time alone while I finish some paperwork." Dr. Greene smiles and leaves the room.

"I might have jinxed it.", Christian sighs with tears falling. "You're not saying anything."

"I'm just...wow. Two more babies. We're going to have four kids.", I sob.

"Ana, it's going to be ok. Baby, we're going to have our hands full, but we've got this."

"I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm happy. We're going to have four much-loved kids."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"I've got two questions.", Elliot mumbles in between bites of his chips. "The first is why did you ask all of us here?" He shoves another chip in his mouth as irritation covers the rest of the family's faces. "Where was I? Oh, my second question is do you have any more of these chips? I may have eaten the entire bag."

"The answer to your second question is no. We don't have any more of those. We do however have some other chips which you can enjoy after Ana and I answer your first question.", Christian replies. With word trickling through our family and friends that we're expecting again, Christian and I invited everyone over so we could officially announce we're having not one but two more babies.

"Excuse your brother.", Grandmother sighs. "Although I think I know why we're here, why don't you two end our guessing." Christian and I stand from the fold up chairs we have placed at the front of the living room while Georgia and Raygan toddle to us.

"I'm almost certain most or all of you already know, but Ana and I want to officially announce that we're expanding our family."

"You're having another baby?", Carrick feigns shock.

"You already knew.", I giggle. "Keeping secrets isn't our best trait." Everyone starts rushing towards to us at once, but Christian holds his hand up.

"Hold up a second. We can tell you're all anxious to hug and congratulate us, but we have more news to share. We're having twins...again." I've never seen so many jaws close to hitting the floor.

"Babies.", Raygan says while reaching for my hand.

"Double congratulations.", Grace says tearfully.

"You two certainly believe in the saying Go Big or Go Home.", Grandpa laughs.

"I'll say.", Elliot scoffs. "Maybe you'll have boys this time or a boy and a girl. Christian, you're going to be so screwed if you have two more girls."

"It doesn't matter what the babies are. They're going to be loved."

* * *

"You've been stowed away in here long enough. Come and have some of Gail's fluffy and oh so delicious pancakes or a tuna salad sandwich like me.", I grin at Christian before taking a chunk from the tuna salad sandwich I woke up craving. His eyes appear empty as he stares at me from his study chair. He's been in the study since receiving a call almost thirty minutes ago. "I'm going to take a guess and say that you're acting like this because of that call you got. Am I right?" He runs his hands along his jaw but doesn't answer. "Ok. Let's try this. Nod once for yes and twice for no."

"Mark was on the phone.", he murmurs. "I saw on the weather map yesterday there was a chance of rain and storms around Logan. It got pretty rough there. Henry and Lea had a huge tree fall in the backyard. Some of the businesses had damage."

"I hope no one was hurt."

"No. Ana, our house."

"Where some trees knocked down or shingled blown off the roof? I bet there are limbs all over the yard."

"They think it was lightning. Baby, I'm sorry." I walk closer to his desk, placing my hands on the front while looking down at him.

"What do you mean it was lightning? Christian, what happened to the house?", I ask. He rolls his chair back and comes around the desk where he pulls me into his arms. "Stop being evasive and answer the question."

"The house caught on fire and burned...to the ground. Mark said they believe since it was an older house it didn't take long."

"You're telling me the Logan house burned? The house where I grew up and lived with my dad is no longer standing?"

"Mark said we can stay with him and Mia when we arrive there. My mom and dad can watch the girls if we feel it's best for them to not go with us." His words are going to my ears but aren't being comprehended.

"We're going there?"

"I've already called for the plane to be ready. We can leave when you want whether it's today or tomorrow. It's up to you.", he replies.

"Now. I want to go now.", I say through tears.

* * *

"We're almost there.", I mutter. Even though leaving the girls was hard, Christian and I decided it would be best if they stayed with Carrick and Grace during our trip to Logan. Unlike other visits, this one isn't for fun.

"Taylor, stop." I anxiously tap my fingers on the seat and wonder what's going on. Christian turns and takes my hand. "Before we go any further, I want you to know what you're going to see is going to be hard but try and stay calm. You need to take care of yourself and the babies." I nod and mentally tell myself that Christian's right, but staying calm is going to be a challenge. "Let's go." The vehicle once again starts down the right, turning right on to the gravel driveway. I close my eyes and prepare for what I'm about to see. My eyes are still closed as I feel the SUV stop.

"Oh my god.", I mutter after finally opening my eyes to what's left of the house. I loosen Christian's hold on my hand and get out of the SUV. In front of me is nothing but ashes and rubble. You can't see which room was which. Christian stands to my right as I try to see some resemblance of what used to be our home, but it's gone. The living room where my dad and I would watch Saturday morning cartoons...gone. The kitchen where I would try to perfect a new recipe...gone. The bedroom where my dad took his last breath...gone. I find myself losing the battle of staying calm.

"Ana, I know it's hard to process what's in front of you."

"What's in front of me?!", I snap. "There's nothing in front of me! It's gone!"

"We can rebuild. It won't be the same, but it'll still be a place for us to raise the kids.", he says. "Different look but same love."

"I just..." I blow out a long breath and try and gather my senses. "I'm going to be sick." I run to the fence and empty my stomach. I feel ease behind me. He rubs my back while handing me a handkerchief. "It feels like more and more memories of my dad are disappearing." I settle on the grass with him doing the same. "I've got photos and other things that belonged to him, but this house was a large piece of him." Taylor and Sawyer are walking through the debris until I see Taylor reach down and pick up a piece of wood. He studies it for a second before walking to where Christian and I are seated.

"I'm not sure what this is, but there are dates on it." He hands the piece to Christian who holds it in between the two of us. The realization of what it is hits me and makes me even more emotional.

"It's a piece of the wall where my dad used to measure my height. I remember once being disappointed that I hadn't gotten taller, but he told me to be patient and everything would work out. Sure enough, I had grown six inches by the next time. I want to keep this."

"All right. Why don't we head over to Mia and Mark's so we can get some rest? We can come back here later this evening or in the morning." After helping me to my feet, I take one last, painful look at the house's remains.

* * *

"Have you guys stared thinking about names?", Mia asks while we sit in the living room of her and Mark's house.

"Not yet. We only just found out we're having twins."

"I can't wait to start shopping for them."

"You'll use anything as an excuse to shop.", Christian teases.

"I'm going to go and pick up our order now.", Mark says about the call in order we placed with Roady's. "Christian, do you want to go with me?"

"Sure." He kisses the corner of my mouth and gets up. Mark smiles affectionately at Thomas who's nestled against Mia's chest.

"Thomas, do you want to go with Daddy and Uncle Christian?"

"He said he wants to stay here.", Mia giggles. Mark shakes his head before kissing his wife and son. "I would say not to hurry so Ana and I can have more time to talk about you two, but the food will be cold."

"We'll be back as soon as we can.", Mark says.

"Thank you for letting us stay here.", I tell Mia once Mark and Christian have left.

"No thanks needed.", she waves. "Mark and I love having you guys here. I only wish the circumstances were different. Ana, things might be rough at the moment, but they'll get better. You've got family and friends who are going to help in any way possible."

"I feel a little better about things. It's just going to take some time to recover from the shock."

"But you will recover. There's no doubt you'll get through this."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"She's still in bed but should be getting up soon." Christian's trying but failing to keep his voice down as I lay in the bed with my eyes closed. "I'll tell her that you called. Ok Mom. We love you too. Bye." I open one eye and see him standing next to me with a smirk. "Where you faking being asleep?"

"No.", I mumble. "I was trying to fully wake up. Let me guess, your mom called to see how I'm feeling?" Since the house in Logan burnt, all of our family and friends have rallied with their support. I'm still coping with the fact that my childhood home is no more, but I'm slowly coming to terms.

"She was just checking on you and the babies." He sits on the edge of the bed, placing his hand on my stomach. "How are you and the nuggets feeling?"

"Nuggets? Where did that come from?"

"When I was watching you sleep earlier.", he answers with a grin. "It popped in my head. We can use another nickname if you'd like." I raise my body up and place my hand on top of his.

"Nuggets is cute." His smile widens as he leans forward and kisses me. "Over the past few days, everyone's been great, but the one person who has been the most supportive is you. I'm thankful to have you by my side."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else. Ana, we can't bring the house back, but we can rebuild and make new memories while cherishing the old ones."

"You're absolutely right." I place another kiss on his lips before pulling back.

"Feeling sick?"

"The opposite. I'm hungry."

"Let's get you, the sweet peas, and the nuggets fed."

* * *

"Dada, Dada, Dada.", Raygan repeats while impatiently awaiting for Christian to feed her more cereal.

"All right sweet pea. Here go." She grins once the cereal lands in her mouth. "Is that good?"

"Georgia, how about another bite?", I ask. She turns away from Raygan and Christian and opens her mouth. "Yummy in the tummy."

"Yum.", she murmurs.

"Luke Bryan's going to be in concert at the Seattle Center tomorrow night. It's kind of last-minute, but would you like to go?" Although all types of music appeal to me, country music holds a special place in my heart, and Luke Bryan's one of my favorites. I keep Georgia's spoon in my left hand and take a small bite of toast with my left hand while thinking about the concert.

"I heard the concert was sold out. How did you manage to get tickets at the last minute?" Christian gives me a "I can't believe you just asked me that." look. "Nevermind. I should have known."

"This might surprise you, but I didn't use my name to get them. The tickets fell into my hands in another way. Dad won the tickets from the Z-100 afternoon show." As he's talking, Sawyer leads Grandmother into the kitchen. The girls and I are going to spend the day with her. "He only tried to win them just so he could see if he could win them, not believing he actually would." Christian notices that she's curious. "Dad won tickets to see Luke Bryan in concert."

"Are you kidding me!", she exclaims. Her outburst causes the twins to stop eating. "I'm sorry Georgia and Raygan, but Luke Bryan makes me swoon."

"I'm completely lost here. Who's Luke Bryan?", Sawyer asks, leaning against the counter.

"Only one of the most talented country music singers around.", I answer. "One of his biggest hits is Country Girl. My favorite verse is Shake it for me girl."

"Oh how I'd love to shake it for him.", Grandmother sighs. "Or he could shake it for me. That man's ass looks like it was sculpted by Michelangelo." She spends the next few minutes lost in her thoughts until finally noticing all eyes on her. "What? Just because I'm married to Theo the Adonis doesn't mean I can't fawn over a sexy celeb. Besides, Luke's ass has nothing on Theo's."

"Grandmother.", Christian sighs.

"Again I'm sorry. How's everyone doing this morning?" Her eyes sweep to everyone before eventually falling on me.

"Good.", I smile. "How about you?"

"I'm great. I woke up this morning to a loud clattering in the kitchen. When I went downstairs to see what was going on I found Theo cooking breakfast. I started to say something but saw he had a tray and vase with a single rose setting on the counter. I realized that he was planning to make me breakfast in bed."

"That's a sweet gesture of Grandpa.", Christian says. "What did you say to him?"

"I didn't say anything to him. I quietly went back to the bedroom and waited for him. About ten minutes later, he came into the room with a tray full of eggs and bacon. I knew the kitchen was probably still a mess, but I didn't care. Theo and I live in the here and now. We relish every single moment of every single day, not taking anything for granted."

* * *

"The mall is pretty crowded for a weekday.", I murmur as I maneuver the girls' stroller through the busy crowd at the Northgate Mall.

"You want to know one of the things I like most about the mall?", Grandmother asks.

"The shopping and the food court?"

"Those are pretty good, but I enjoy the people watching. You find people from all walks of life here. Why don't we get some food before we start spending my grandson's money?" I laugh and wave my hand to the food court which is also bustling with people.

Ten minutes later, we're seated at a table with our pizza and feeding the girls their lunch. They seem to take after their great-grandmother with the people watching. In between bites of food, they keep looking at the table next to us where a couple have gathered with their three young boys.

"I don't want it!", one of the boys shouts as he pushes away his pizza. "I want candy."

"Jonathon, we've already discussed this. If you behave, you can have candy later, but you need to eat your pizza first.", the dad says.

"Georgia, Raygan, why don't you pay attention to your food.", I tell them. Georgia claps her hands together and giggles. "You like that idea, huh?"

"Georgia Trevelyan, is that you?", an elderly gray-haired woman asks after throwing away her empty paper plate. With her head turned away from the woman, Grandmother rolls her eyes and slowly turns around.

"Evelyn, hello." Grandmother's smiling at the woman, but the smile is clearly forced.

"I was sitting at my table when I saw a woman who I thought looked like you. I wasn't sure so I thought I'd take a chance to see. You look well."

"Thank you." Evelyn stands with her hand crossed as if she's waiting for Grandmother to tell her the same. "So do you."

"I try.", Evelyn shrugs. "Pilates and Botox are my friends."

"Evelyn Simpson, this is my Ana Grey, my granddaughter-in-law and this two little cuties are my great-granddaughters Georgia and Raygan."

"It's nice to meet you.", I say.

"It's nice to meet you too Ana. Georgia and Raygan, it's a pleasure to meet you little ladies as well. Your great-grandmother and I have known each other for years. How long has it been Georgia?"

"I believe it's been thirty years or so. We met around the time you were single between husbands one and two."

"Ah, yes. I tried my best to get you to go out with me, but you always insisted on staying home with Theo."

"Bars and clubs have never been my cup of tea. You still managed to have a nice time on your own."

"You bet I did. It was at one of those bars where I met husband number three. What brings you all to the mall?"

"We're just doing some shopping but more importantly spending time together.", I answer. I don't know the details about Grandmother's history with Evelyn, but I'm getting bad vibes.

"Cute. I needed to buy some new makeup. I should let you get back to your bonding thing.", she says sarcastically. "Georgia, we should have lunch soon so we can catch up more." She saunters away before Grandmother answers her.

"Thank goodness she's gone.", Grandmother mutters. She takes a small bite of her pizza and then places the rest of the slice on her plate. "Now my appetite is gone."

"It may not be any of my business, but I got the impression you and Evelyn aren't exactly friends."

"More like frenemies. She's always been the type who acts better than others. I also don't trust her around Theo. She's never tried anything, but the way she looks at him makes me uncomfortable."

"My money's on you if you were to ever get in a cat fight with her.", Sawyer mumbles before shoving a breadstick in his mouth.

"Without a doubt.", Grandmother giggles.

* * *

"What's this?" Christian picks up the small black and white snapshot from the coffee table. In the photo, Grandmother's holding Georgia while Raygan's in my arms.

"We went into the photo booth at the mall. It's cute, isn't it?"

"Very." He plops down next to the sofa and wraps his arms around my shoulders. "Are you excited about the concert?"

"I've been thinking about the concert..."

"Ana, please don't tell me you're not going." I turn the tv off and look directly into his eyes.

"I'm not going. Before you start thinking it has to do with me not dealing with the fire, let me explain my reason. I want your grandparents to have the tickets. They're two of the most incredible people in the world, and I want them to go and have a nice time."

"I understand, but I thought the concert would be a good thing to help lift your spirits."

"I'd rather for us to have a night with the sweet peas and the nuggets. Remember what your grandmother said this morning?"

"About Luke Bryan's ass?", he jokes. "Yeah that's not going to leave my brain any time soon."

"Not that. I mean what she said about relishing every single day and not taking anything for granted. You and our babies mean more to me than a concert where people are going to be going crazy."

"Grandmother will be thrilled when she hears."

"So you're ok with it?"

"I'm fudging ok with it.", he says.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Thank you for coming with me to pick out new curtains.", Grace says while we make our way down the aisle at Pottery Barn. "I was going to wait until this weekend to buy some, but I'm working a split shift at the hospital Saturday and just want to relax on Sunday. "Carrick thought me buying them while he's at work would save him, but I've got plans for him. He's going to hang them." She continues pushing her shopping cart in which Raygan is settled in the front while I push the one carrying Georgia. "I talked to my mom this morning. The Luke Bryan concert was two days ago, but she's still on cloud nine. What really surprised her was Christian arranging for her and my dad to go backstage and meet Luke."

"She told me she was nervous when she first got back there but ended up being calm when it came time to talk to him."

"She was definitely calm when she told him how much she enjoys his singing and of course his tight jeans." I giggle at the mental picture of Grandmother being her usual bold self with Luke Bryan. The twins who have been quiet until now have joined me with their sweet laughter. "Your great-grandmother will say anything."

"I can only imagine how Luke felt when she asked for him for his autograph on her chest. If the security guard hadn't been eyeing her, who knows what would have happened. She's adamant that backstage passes should include autographs on any body part of ones choice." Grace points to a display of off white curtains with dark blue stripes on the bottom. "These are nice. I saw some throw pillows in almost the same shade of blue."

"I really like those and think they'd work in your living room.", I tell her as she puts two pairs in her cart.

"You'll be shopping for new furniture and accessories soon." She smiles at my stomach which is starting to get a tiny bump.

"We'll have to buy two of everything...again." We soon find ourselves in front of a series of canvas wall paintings. All of them are beautiful, but one in particular stands out. It's a farmhouse with an old red pickup parked to the left. I quickly swipe away a falling tear but Grace is even quicker to notice.

"Oh.", she murmurs. "That's a gorgeous painting."

"It doesn't look exactly like the house in Logan, yet it still reminds me of it." I turn my head for a second, only to turn back to find Grace reaching for the painting. "What are you doing?"

"I'm buying it." Even though she's on her tip toes, she still can't reach it so she nods at Sawyer to assist her. He moves past me and grabs the painting, placing it in Grace's cart. "Ana, I can read your mind and know you're about to tell me not to buy it, but I saw the way you looked at it. Let this be a thank you gift."

"A thank you gift?", I ask. "Thanking me for what?"

"For helping bring so much joy into our lives. Little did I know when Christian was in Europe.", she says with air quotes. "That he was actually in Logan where he was not only discovering himself but also falling in love. Like you said, the house in the painting isn't exactly like the house in Logan, but it's kind of a representation of all your hometown has given us." I already know disagreeing with her over buying the painting is going to be a losing battle so I should save the time by going ahead and accepting it.

"Thank you Grace. Thank you for everything." She once again reads my mind and hugs me. We embrace for almost a minute before taking turns in hugging the girls. "We love you too. Yes we do."

* * *

"I didn't think the girls were ever going to go to sleep." Christian crawls behind me in the middle of the bed. He told me before we tucked the girls in that he would give me a back massage, and I'm planning on making sure he keeps his word. In the corner of my eye, I see him stretching his arms before placing his hands on my shoulders. "I'm a man of my word." His fingers are like magic as he starts working on my back muscle. "How does this feel?"

"Good."

"I think we should hire a nanny. No. I know we need to hire a nanny. We've got our hands full with just the girls, and while having Gail helps, it's not going to be enough when the nuggets arrive. Baby, we're going to have four kids." The way he says four makes me wonder if he's regretting us adding to the family.

"Four? So that's what two plus two equals.", I jokingly gasp. My humor fades with my surging emotions. "Christian, you're still happy about the nuggets, right?"

"I'm beyond happy about the new babies. I just think it'll be much easier if we have help." He scoots forward in the bed so that his knees are now touching mine. "We're not superheroes." My roller coaster of emotions slows when I realize he has a point. "What do you say?"

"Let's find a nanny. I want the best though, like Mary Poppins good."

"Only the best for the sweet peas and the nuggets." I see his eyes go to the left side of the room where the painting Grace bought is leaning against the wall. "I really like the painting my mom bought. Have you decided where you want to put it?"

"I thought over the fireplace might be good, but the black and white portrait of the girls is there, and I don't want to move it. Then I thought maybe on the wall behind the sofa, but we've got the Grey family portrait there. Any suggestions?"

"We could put it above the rocking chair.", he shrugs. "It'll be a focal point for people when they first walk into the house."

"Over the rocking chair would be a great place.", I smile at him.

"Elliot and I talked a little this morning about the rebuild. He's going to sketch some ideas for us. I've also found a guy in Logan Jerry Preston who builds houses. He's finishing up a house but also nothing else lined up. The details still need to be ironed out."

"But you think he'd be good for the job?"

"Henry and Mark both said he's the best of around, and I trust their opinions. I can see if he'll email some photos of his past work for you to see."

"Not necessary. I trust your opinion Mr. Grey. Now why don't we get back to that massage?"

* * *

"Haley, do you need more coffee or perhaps some toothpicks to hold your eyes open?", Gwen asks while Haley leans against the back of the counter.

"Addison didn't want to go to sleep last night. Just as we thought she had fallen asleep, she started crying."

"There must have been a full moon or something because Georgia and Raygan were the same way. They were more interested in talking than sleeping.", I giggle. "They seem to have some interesting conversations between them."

"I was out like a light.", Sawyer says as a blonde haired girl around sixteen or seventeen steps into the store.

"Hi. Can I help you find something in particular?" She toys with the zipper on her black over the shoulder bag and shakes her head.

"Um...no. I just want to look around.", she mutters.

"If you need any help, just let me or one of us know.", I tell her with a smile. She smiles slightly and heads to the young adult section. I then go to the pastry counter and grab a large cinnamon roll.

"Gwen's cinnamon rolls are even better when you're expecting, huh?", Haley says.

"Mmm.", is all I can say. I notice Sawyer watching the lone customer in the store. He gets up from his chair and takes a few steps out at a time in her direction. Confused by what he's up to, I step inch away from the counter.

"Hand me the book.", Sawyer demands.

"What are you talking about? Do you see me holding a book?", the girl asks. "You don't so chill."

"The book you shoved in your bag. Don't stand there and say you didn't because I watched you with my own two eyes. Let's not make this ugly so take the book out of her bag and give it to me." She tries to move past him, but he blocks her.

"Make it ugly? Like your face. I don't have the so-called book you're accusing me of taking. Move out of my way so I can get the hell out of here."

"Maybe I should call the police and let them handle the situation." Her entire body tenses at the word police. She blows out a breath and reaches into the bag where sure enough she pulls out a paperback. The paperback flies from her hands while she manages to rush past Sawyer, nearly toppling me over on her way to the door. Luckily Haley is catches me from behind. The girl's hand is on the door, but a livid Sawyer has caught up to her and is once again preventing her escape.

"I gave you the damn book back so let me go.", she pleads. Her tone is almost fearful now. "I'll never step foot in this place again just please let me go."

"Sawyer, move.", I tell him. He looks at me and Haley who mouths for him to step aside. He follows our request, but even after he's out of the way, she remains in her spot.

"I'm sorry.", she murmurs, opening the door and then running down the street.

"Ana, are you all right?", Sawyer asks. "She could have hurt you."

"I'm fine. Even though her taking the book was wrong, I can't help but feel there's something else going on with that girl."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"What did that meatball do to you?" I jerk my head up and see Christian pointing to one of the meatballs in the middle of my plate of spaghetti. Well, it was a meatball but is now just a clump of nothing. Georgia and Raygan are also watching the demolition from their high chairs.

"There's nothing wrong with the meatball. Raygan, do you want more spaghetti?"

"More.", she utters as I wrap a few noodles around the fork and bring it to her mouth. I giggle at the pasta sauce that's around her mouth.

"Here it goes." She giggles for a second before opening her mouth to accept the spaghetti. Christian feeds Georgia some of her green beans but keeps his eyes on me while doing so. "It might be easier to feed her if you have your eyes on her instead of me."

"I'm just waiting for you to tell me what's bothering you.", he replies. "Is it about that girl at the bookstore today?" I was planning on telling Christian later about the mystery girl who stashed a book in her bag before being caught by Sawyer. She ran out of the store, but questions about her remain. "Sawyer told me."

"I was going to tell you. She took a book but threw at Sawyer when he busted her. Her attitude changed from defensive to scared at the mentioning of the police."

"What kind of book did she take?"

"It was a compilation of Robert Frost poems. I'm not sure if she grabbed that particular book for a reason or if there's more going on."

"You've got that voice.", Christian murmurs with a head shake. I take a drink of my water and think about what voice he's referring to. "The voice you get when you feel the need to look into something. You're a very curious woman, always wanting to play detective."

"I admit I tend to get intrigued about some things. It's part of who I am."

"I understand that, but Ana, you can't take care of every problem you come across. You've got a family and yourself to be concerned about." Christian's statement is very true. I can't go around putting myself and my family in danger because of my desire to "fix" things. I dab the corners of my eyes with my napkin and go back to feeding Raygan. "I think we should talk about something lighter. One of mom's friends Vickie was working at a day care, but the owner is moving so the place is closing. She's worked in child care for over twenty years and has a great track record."

"You think she might be a good fit for the nanny position?", I ask.

"One of the nanny positions.", he answers. "With us having four kids, I think it might be best if we hired two nannies. Gail can continue doing her job while the nannies help take care of the sweet peas and the nuggets. It'll be easier on everyone."

"As always, you've thought of everything."

"Eh.", he shrugs. "I merely like finding ways to make life better which is what this spaghetti you made is doing. Baby, the sauce is incredible. Did you use one of your recipes?" I place my fork down and lean into the table.

"Do you want to know the secret? It's store bought sauce.", I tell him. "I considered making it from scratch but ended up having Sawyer make a run to the store for me."

"Store bought sauce rocks."

* * *

"This is just a rough sketch.", I hear Elliot saying as I come downstairs the next morning. He's sitting in the recliner while Christian's on the sofa. The twins are playing in the floor. The sound of my feet touching the last steps turns all of the attention to me. "Good morning."

"Morning.", I say through a yawn. I look at Christian who's now on his feet and making his way to me. I notice the clock on the wall reads almost ten. "I didn't mean to sleep this late. How long have you and the girls been awake?"

"I woke up at seven, and they got up around eight. I fed them breakfast and then made myself some eggs. I was going to wake you but thought you could use the extra rest. Elliot got here about thirty minutes and brought some donuts. How about I get you one or two and some tea?"

"Two would be good." He kisses the corner of my mouth and goes into the kitchen while I kiss the girls good morning. "Did you two sleep well?"

"Uh-huh.", Georgia answers.

"Uh-huh.", Raygan repeats.

I take the seat on the sofa which Christian vacated and notice Elliot studying a piece of paper in his hand. He takes a pencil from his pocket and draws something on the paper, appearing content with whatever he's just added.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's on the paper?", I ask at the same time Christian returns with two glazed donuts on a plate along with a cup of tea which he places before me on the coffee table. "Thank you."

"Christian, why don't you show Ana what I brought?", Elliot says. Christian takes the paper from Elliot and sits down next to me with the paper out in front of us. On the paper is a house, but it's not just any house. It's almost identical to the Logan house, especially with the front porch and the windows. I feel tears fighting to get out, but my growling stomach is even more overwhelming so I take a large bite of a donut. "I was doing some sketches last night and glanced at one of the wedding photos I took of you guys. It was taken in front of the house. It was like I had an epiphany. I started drawing and drawing until it was almost one in the morning. Emily had already went but got up to see what was taking me so long. She started bawling when she saw the sketch."

"Elliot, it's incredible. One look at it and it's clear you put your heart into it."

"You're going to want the house to be larger to accommodate your expanding family, but the basis is the same. Changes can made to any part you and Christian would like." Georgia gets up and comes to where I'm sitting. Her tiny hand reaches for the paper so I hold it out for her to see.

"Dat.", she mumbles.

"This is what our house in Logan is going to look like if your daddy agrees." Both her and Raygan train their blue eyes on Christian.

"Daddy definitely agrees.", he laughs.

"Wonderful.", Elliot says with a clap of his hands.

* * *

"It's only been a few hours since Elliot showed us the sketch, but I'm already excited about where things are going." We're having a late lunch at Pegasus Pizza and Pasta before going to a movie. Georgia and Raygan are being baby-sat by Carrick and Grace. "The girls liked it too."

"Even though they kept trying to get the sketch away from us.", Christian chuckles. "You've been smiling lately but even more today." He picks up a slice of pizza and brings it closer to my mouth. "Choo-choo open up."

"Mmmm, delicious. Now I'm full. You may have to carry me out of here."

"It won't be a problem. Are you too full for popcorn at the movie theater?"

"By the time we get to the theater I'll be hungry again so no worries.", I smirk. "Are we ready to go?" Christian looks at the table next to us where Taylor has pushed back his empty plate.

"We're ready." Christian scoots his chair back and wraps his arms around me as a commotion is taking place at a front booth. One of the waiters is standing with anger in his eyes. He's blocking my view of the booth's occupant, but I can hear a voice.

"I refuse to pay for something that wasn't edible.", That voice. I recognize it from yesterday. It's the girl from the bookstore. "You really should reconsider this whole restaurant thing.", she hisses.

"You didn't have any issue when you were eating your pizza. I think you're just trying to get out of the bill.", the waiter fires back. "This isn't a place where you can come and eat for free."

"I'm the manager and couldn't help but hear that you're refusing to pay for your meal. If you think you're getting out of paying for your food, you're mistaken.", he snarls. The two men move slightly, allowing me to see the girl who's cowered in her seat.

"That's the girl from yesterday.", I whisper to Christian.

"Fine. I'll pay." She reaches into the bag she had at the bookstore and lets out a long sigh. "You're not going to believe this, but my wallet must have fallen out of my purse. It's probably in my car. I'll go get it and be back in no time."

"Do we look that naive?", the waiter asks. The way he and the manager are talking to her is beyond ridiculous.

"I'll take care of her bill.", Christian tells the manager. The girl looks at Christian and then gasps in recognition when she sees me. "Just add it on to mine." The manager continues staring the girl down. Christian pulls out his credit card and flashes it so the manager can see the name.

"Mr. Grey, um...", the manager stumbles for words. "I'll add the two tickets together." He takes Christian's card along with both tickets. I'm a little surprised the girl hasn't fled like yesterday. Instead, she's staring in almost disbelief at Christian's card being swiped for not only our meal but also hers. The manager finishes and hands the card back to Christian. "Thank you for dining with us Mr. Grey. We hope to see you again." He smiles at me but scowls at the girl on his way to the back.

"You didn't have to do that.", the girl murmurs. "But thank you." Her attention then goes directly on me. "I'm also sorry about the incident at the bookstore. I have to go but again, thank you." She's out the door in a flash before I have a chance to ask her any of the questions my mind has conjured.

"Stay behind me.", Christian says. He pushes open the door and heads outside with me and Taylor trailing behind. The girl, hearing our footsteps behind her, turns and groans.

"I said thank you so why are you now following me?"

"Why did you take the book yesterday? Was there something special about that book or did you just randomly pick one?", I ask after a few rain drops falls on to shoulders.

"Why are you asking?", she scoffs.

"Some might say I'm a very curious person." Christian smiles at my response. "You were all tough until the police were brought up. Do your parents know what happened?"

"Excuse me for not exactly liking the idea of being arrested. If you must know, I wanted that book because I happen to like poetry, and Robert Frost wrote many of my favorites."

"He's one of my favorites as well.", Christian says. "His pieces are very inspiring."

"Yeah. Well, bye." The bottom suddenly falls out of the sky. Once again, she starts to walk away, but I can't let her walk in this downpour.

"Let us take you wherever you need to go.", I tell her over a rumble of thunder. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't want you walking around in this weather." Like yesterday, something changes in her, only this time all emotions seem to drain from her.

"Standing in the rain isn't good.", Christian mutters.

"Fine." The four of us hurry to the SUV. She gets into the front passenger seat while Christian and I get into the back. "Just got straight until you get to the first light and then turn left.

"So what's your name?", I ask.

"Clarissa. My grandmother told my mom it would be a good name for me."

"It's a pretty name. I'm Ana." I point to Christian who smiles. "This is my husband Christian, and the guy next to you is Taylor." Silence fills the vehicle while Taylor continues driving. "Clarissa, where do you go to school?"

"School's out for summer.", she answers. "But I go to West Seattle High. I'm going to be a senior in the fall."

"I'm sure you're anxious about that."

"I guess. I kind of just want them to hand my diploma to me so I get out of there."

"Any plans for college?", Christian asks.

"I'd like to go. I wish I could go to an East coast school so I could get the hell away from Seattle. Sorry for not a peppy person."

"It's fine. You're only being honest." I feel like there's a lot more to Clarissa than she's letting on.

"You all probably have some place you need to be so you can just drop me off at this stop sign we're coming up on. My house isn't too far from there." Although Christian and I planned to see a movie, I don't like the idea of just letting her out in the rain.

"Nonsense.", Christian mutters. "The rain is only getting worse. We're taking you to your house." Taylor gets to the stop sign and drives until Clarissa holds up her hand.

"This is it." She motions at a small brick house on the right. "Thank you for everything."

"Clarissa, if you'd like to stop by the store one day next week, I'll give you that book.", I tell her.

"You don't have to do that.", she shrugs.

"You're right. I don't have to do it, but I want to."

"All right then. I'll drop by one day. Drive safe in this rain." She opens her door and instead of running to the house to avoid getting drenched, she takes slow strides. It's almost like she's dreading going inside. Once she's at the door, she waves at us and then slowly unlocks the door, closing it behind her. Even with the SUV's windows up, the sound of a woman shouting is heard.

"Where in the hell have you been?", the woman slurs. "Answer me damn it! I needed another drink but didn't have anyone to fix it for me. Now get in there and make me. Then I want you to go to your room and get out of my sight for the rest of the day! Do you hear me!?" Christian turns to me as knots tangle in my stomach.

"Christian, I think she's in trouble.", I whisper through tears.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Georgia, why don't you slow down a little on your pony?" She continues giving her Radio Flyer Bounce Pony a fit while I help hold her in place. Raygan is watching her sister from the floor. "Raygan, do you want to ride your pony?"

"No.", she answers as she gets up and runs out of the room. I hurriedly pick Georgia up so I can catch up to Raygan. Just as I'm about to step into the hallway, I see Christian has the situation under control and Raygan in his arms.

"Where were you going?", he asks, kissing her through her giggles. He then kisses Georgia and me. "What are you ladies up to?"

"Georgia was on her pony, and Raygan was watching."

"Let's go downstairs for a few minutes." I nod and follow him downstairs where Taylor and Gail seem to be waiting on us. "I asked Taylor if he and Gail would keep on an eye on the twins while we talked." I'm almost certain he wants to discuss the situation with Clarissa. It was hard listening to her being verbally abused Saturday was shattering but having to leave her was even worse. Christian promised that he would do everything he could to help her. One thing about my husband is he always keeps his word.

"Go to Ms. Gail and Mr. Taylor.", I tell Georgia and Raygan as Gail and Taylor take the twins. "Mommy and Daddy will be back soon, and then we'll have dinner." Christian and I go to the study where he picks up a folder from his desk. We sit down on the sofa while I await the reveal of the folder's contents.

"First of all, how have you been feeling today?", he asks.

"I've been a little tired, but I took advantage of the girls' nap time and had a nap myself."

"Music to my ears. You need all the rest you can get which reminds me that Mom's friend Vickie said she would stop by when it was convenient for us so we can discuss one of the nanny positions. We still need to find someone to fill the other spot."

"Gail and I were talking about this topic earlier. What do you think about Gail switching to nanny? She already does excellent when she and Emily watch the sweet peas. We can still hire someone to help her and get another person to take over as housekeeper." He leans back on the sofa and processes my suggestion.

"Georgia and Raygan love Gail and would be more comfortable.", he says. "It would also be easier for them to get adjusted to being looked after by one new person as opposed to two new people."

"Yeah. So?"

"I like the idea. Now back to what I want to discuss with you." He holds the folder up and sighs. "Before I show you this, I need you to promise me that you're going to let me take the lead with it. Deal?"

"Deal."

"The owner of the house where we dropped Clarissa off is a forty-year old woman by the name of Donna Myers. She's never been married but has one daughter...Clarissa. Donna's worked in odd and end jobs for most of her life but nothing lasts for long. Her mother passed away a few years ago, leaving the house which Donna and Clarissa live in. The neighbors have complained about Donna being drunk and disorderly in her yard, but nothing has been done. However, she's been arrested for DUI three times, the most recent being two months ago."

"How does she support herself and especially her daughter?", I ask as I feel even more devastated for Clarissa.

"Clarissa's grandmother left some money to her mother. I assume that's what she's been using to get by. Five thousand dollars was placed in an account for Clarissa, but it can't be touched until she turns eighteen which is in October. Welch spoke with the attorney in charge of Clarissa's grandmother's estate. He's the only one who has access to the account but said Donna has contacted him about getting into it."

"So she can take her daughter's money? Unfreakingbelievable. The woman's probably wasted all of her money and sees an opportunity with Clarissa's account."

"The attorney denied her request. He's making sure the money stays in the account. Although five thousand may not seem like a lot to some, Clarissa's grandmother saved it over the years in hopes of helping Clarissa go to college."

"I just don't understand how a mother can be so selfish and not give a damn about her child." Christian's face tightens as my words roll out. The reminder of what his mother put him through surface. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault my birth mother loved her crack.", he shrugs. "I don't remember a lot of my time with her, but being screamed at stands out. When I heard Clarissa's mother the other day, I felt like I was back in the run down apartment I used to live in. I was lucky that I was found by my parents. Now I plan to return the favor and help Clarissa get out."

"What's the next move?"

"I placed a call with the Department of Children's Services who said they would look into Clarissa's home life. With Clarissa not having any other family, she'll be placed in a group home if the DCS finds anything.", he answers.

"A group home.", I sigh.

"She'll be taken care of there. She can leave when she turns eighteen."

"And go where?" I'm beginning to get frustrated, not with Christian but at the hardships Clarissa was handed. "I don't want her to sleep on the streets."

"Ana, it won't come to that. We won't let that happen."

"Maybe we can let her stay here. We have more than enough room."

"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea. Yes we do have the space and the capabilities to let her stay, but we also have two babies and two others on the way who are going to need our undivided attention. As much as I'd like to do whatever I can for Clarissa, I don't want to do so at the expense of our kids. We'll figure something out.", he says as the partially closed study door opens. Running into the room with Taylor trailing behind is Georgia.

"She's fast.", he mutters, catching his breath. Christian gets up and scoops Raygan in his arms.

"You're being a little mischievous today, huh?" Raygan puckers her lips and kisses Christian's cheek. "Aww."

"What were you saying about her being mischievous?", I tease.

"I don't recall making such a comment.", he laughs. "Does this look like a mischievous face?" As if cue, Raygan turns and bats her long lashes.

"Jason, you need to run a little faster.", Gail giggles while coming into the study with Georgia.

"Or Raygan needs to run a little slower.", he tells Gail.

* * *

"I feel terrible for her.", Haley murmurs after I fill her in on Clarissa. "You said she's going to stop by one day."

"Yeah. I told her I'd give her the book she had the other day. I've got it in one of the drawers along with some other books she might also like. Reading is a perfect escape from real life even if it's for brief."

"We've got company on the way.", Sawyer says with a nod towards the door. Clarissa cautiously walks into the store. She freezes upon seeing Sawyer. "I'm not going to call the police on you."

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused the other day.", she tells him. She glances at the counter where Haley and I are standing. "Ana said I could stop by, but if I'm not welcome, I'll completely understand. My behavior during my last visit was inexcusable."

"We all do things we aren't proud of.", Haley replies. "You're more than welcome here." After grabbing the bag holding the book she tried to steal the other day in addition to the others I picked out, I move towards Clarissa.

"Here's the book. I also have four other books you might enjoy. They're poetry compilations." She slowly takes the bag, studying it until looking up with tears.

"I don't get you. Why are you being so nice to me when you don't even know me?", she asks.

"How about we go and talk? It won't take long." I almost expect her to say no, but she surprises me and nods. "This way." She follows me to the office where we sit down in the orange leather chairs Gwen found a few weeks ago. "When we took you home the other day, we couldn't help but hear yelling."

"I'm sorry about that." She becomes jittery, tapping her finger against her knee. "My mom can be a little loud."

"It sounded like more was going on. Does she act like that a lot?"

"Again, I ask, why do you care? All you basically know about me is that I like poetry."

"I tend to be good at reading people and know when someone needs help. Clarissa, your mom sounded drunk. Is that a common thing in your house?", I ask.

"If by common you mean everyday, then yeah, pretty much. She likes her alcohol. I've tried to get her to meetings and even rehab. She went to one meeting and said it wasn't her thing. I try to stay out of her way most of the time by burying my head in books.

"Has she ever hit you?"

"A few times when she's been drunk. I shake it off and tell myself that she won't remember it." I want to scream at her mother and demand that she wakes up to see the pain she's causing. "I need to go but thank you for the books. I appreciate them more than you know." While she's placing the bag inside her purse, I reach for a piece of paper and write down both my phone number and address.

"I want you to have my number and address. Call or stop by if you need anything even if you think it's nothing." She takes the paper and shoves it into her pocket.

"I'm sure I won't need it but thanks."

* * *

"I've got a confession.", Grace says as we're sitting in the living room with our banana pudding following dinner. She took me up on my dinner invitation after I learned both Christian and Carrick would be working late. "I'm kind of glad Carrick and Christian couldn't have dinner with us. I like our dinners and after dinner talks."

"I like them too. Georgia and Raygan seem to as well." Georgia and Rayagn had dinner with us, jabbering throughout, but they fell asleep shortly after we finished eating. Grace helped me tuck them in which Christian was sad he wouldn't be here to do.

"They're going to be adorable flower girls in the wedding. I can't believe it's three weeks away. I asked Elliot if he's nervous, and he said not at all."

"They're going to have a wonderful marriage. Elliot and Emily compliment each other well." Sawyer comes inside the house from doing his perimeter checks. He smiles at Grace before looking at me oddly. "What's wrong?"

"I was out front when a taxi pulled up. Uh, Clarissa is here and needs to talk.", he answers. I put my bowl on the coffee table and stand, sensing Sawyer is holding back from me.

"What are you not telling me?"

"I'll go and get her."

"Clarissa is the girl you were telling me about during dinner.", Grace says. She and I discussed Clarissa briefly after sensing something was bothering me. I'm about to respond when Sawyer comes back into the house with Clarissa holding on to him for support. Her lip is bloody and her eye is black. "Oh my god."

"Clarissa, what happened?", I ask while Sawyer and I help her to the sofa. She sits down and shakes her head in silence. "Did you mother do this?"

"She was out of vodka, and I refused to go buy her more. She was already wasted. I didn't see her fist coming towards my face until it was too late.", she sobs. "Then she shoved me towards the door and told me to get out and never come back. She kept screaming as I ran down the steps. I ended up tripping. That's what happened to my lip. Anyway, I walked until I saw a taxi. I gave him your address. I was in such a hurry that I didn't realize I didn't have the money to pay him until I got here." She points at Sawyer. "I swear I'll pay you back when I get the money."

"Don't worry about it.", he tells her.

"We should get you to the hospital to get you checked out.", I say.

"No. I'm fine. My eye hurts a lot, but that's the extent of it. I didn't mean to interrupt your evening."

"I'm glad you came here. You're going to be ok."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Here you go." I place a bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of Clarissa and watch as she ravages it. She stops only to take a drink of her water. "Would you like something else? I've always like grilled cheese sandwiches with my soup."

"No. The soup is enough, really. It's delicious.", she says weakly. I sit down in the chair across from her while Grace is seated in the chair next to me. Once Clarissa had calmed down a little, Grace checked her out. She's going to have a black eye, split lip, and soreness, but her condition is well. I texted Christian to tell him what's going on. He told me he would be home as soon as he took care of a few things. What he needed to do is unknown to me although I'm certain it's related to Clarissa.

"There's plenty more.", Grace tells Clarissa.

"I think this huge bowl is going to be enough. I need to leave after I finish."

"Leave? Clarissa, you're not going back to that house.", I assert. "Who knows what might happen."

"Don't worry. I don't plan on going back there. Staying with friends is out of question since I don't really have any. With my mom being the way she is, it's probably best. The last thing I would want is for them to come to the house and see her drunk and lashing out. One of the shelters might have an empty bed, at least for tonight. I'll figure out the rest tomorrow."

"There's no way you're going to a shelter." The sound of the front door opening draws my attention to the kitchen doorway where Christian and Taylor appear. "I was just telling Clarissa she's not going to a shelter."

"No. She's not.", Christian sighs, dropping his briefcase on to the counter before shrugging out of his suit jacket. "Clarissa, I'm so sorry for what your mother did. I've been in contact with Rita Dennings from DCS. She wants to talk to you first thing in the morning. I also think you should go to the police department and file assault charges on your mother." Clarissa's spoon clinks against the bowl as it falls from her hand.

"I'm not sure about that. If I get her arrested, she'll be beyond furious.", Clarissa mutters. "Who knows what she'll do in retaliation."

"She's not going to lay another finger on you, and that's a promise. Maybe an arrest for hurting her own daughter is exactly what she needs to wake up."

"Nothing has worked before, and I doubt being arrested will do it."

"Regardless, she needs to know it's not ok to hurt anyone especially her own daughter. Parents are supposed to protect their children, not harm them." Christian's eyes fall as he alludes to his own troubled childhood. The only sound in the room is Clarissa's sobs which she tries unsuccessfully to stop. "I'm going to go and say good night to the girls.", Christian says before going upstairs.

"Ana, Mrs. Grey, I hate that I'm putting my troubles on you. You've got your own lives and shouldn't have to deal with the problems of a stranger."

"Nonsense.", Grace tells Clarissa at the same moment returns to the kitchen with the girls in his arms. "Look who's awake." Clarissa smiles at Georgia and Raygan who are dressed in pink pajamas with bunnies printed all over the fabric.

"Clarissa, I'd like you to meet our daughter Georgia and Raygan.", I say, getting up to take Raygan in my arms. "Georgia, Raygan, this is Clarissa." As they do with all new people, their girls commence studying Clarissa. Raygan removes his thumb from her mouth and tosses a tiny wave at Clarissa. Georgia, however, keeps staring.

"It's nice to meet you two. You're so adorable.", Clarissa grins. She nods at my bump which is growing by the day. "And you're adding to the family."

"With another set of twins.", I reply. Clarissa's eyes widen in shock. "We were a little surprised as well." I my head and focus to Christian. "Before you got home, Clarissa was talking about where she's spending the night. I shot down her suggestion of staying at a shelter."

"And I told Ana a shelter would be fine for tonight. I can make other arrangements tomorrow."

"We're not about to let you walk out of this house and head to a shelter.", Christian states. "You can stay here tonight. We've got plenty of room." Although Christian was hesitant at first about getting involved in Clarissa's troubles, it's clear he's now determined to help her.

"I don't want to burden any more than I already have.", Clarissa stammers.

"You won't be. Stay tonight and then tomorrow we'll help you start figuring out what's next.", I say.

* * *

"Am I interrupting?", I ask Christian and Carrick who halt the conversation they're having while sitting on the porch. Christian shakes his head and pats the empty spot next to him on the porch swing.

"Dad and I were going over what Clarissa's next steps might be." I turn my head back to the house where Clarissa is meeting with Rita Dennings from DCS. The woman stopped by Clarissa's house earlier to speak with Clarissa's mother, but she found no one was home. Despite the front door being locked, she was able to get a glimpse inside via a window. Broken alcohol bottles covered the floor along with pieces of clothing.

"In addition to the assault charges, she can file papers asking for emancipation. She's almost eighteen and already taking care of herself.", Carrick adds. "And of course, she could go to a group home."

"I don't want her going to a group home.", I snap, feeling Christian's eyes on me. "Christian, I know you said you weren't sure about her staying here, but I also don't think she should be in a group home. Clarissa needs some stability and normalcy in here life for once. You can tell me all you want how ridiculous I'm being, but I don't care." Before he has a chance to respond, Clarissa and Ms. Dennings step out on to the porch.

"Clarissa and I have a productive discussion.", Ms. Dennings says. "I informed her being in her mother's custody is not the best thing for her at this time, and she agreed. With that being said, I placed a call with my office and found one of the local group homes has a few girls around Clarissa's age. I'm positive she'll fit in there."

"Is the home near her school?", I ask. "She's going to be in her senior year, and switching schools will make thing even more difficult."

"It's fine.", Clarissa murmurs. "Although I don't have friends, I do like the teachers at my school, but I'm sure I'll like the teachers wherever I go. I intend to focus on nothing but my studies. I'll get my bag and then be ready to go."

"Wait.", Carrick tells Clarissa with his attention directed at Ms. Herron. "My wife and I talked about this last night, and even though she's working at the moment. I'll speak for the both of us. We'd like for Clarissa to stay at our house. We can provide her a good home and help support her in her schooling."

"You want me to go and live with you and Mrs. Grey? What is it about this family that makes them jump at helping people?"

"We're Greys. It's what we do. Grace and I adopted Christian and his two siblings when they were younger, and we love them more than anything. Blood doesn't make a family, love does. We intend to treat you as our own. It would be wonderful to have you in our home. Ms. Herron, my wife's shift ends at two. Afterwards, we can stop by your office and do the necessary paperwork. I assume home visits will need to be done as well?"

"That's correct. We would need to see the living conditions. Also there's a mound of paperwork that would need to be done as well.", Ms. Herron replies as a phone rings. She reaches into her purse and looks at the screen. "Excuse me for a second." Answering the call, she walks to the end of the porch and begins listening to the person on the other end.

"So Clarissa, would you like to stay with Carrick and Grace?", I ask her.

"I'd very much like that. I can help around the house. You won't even know I'm around, but I swear you won't regret it.", she replies. Ms. Herron rejoins us and exhales a deep breath. "You look like you've got bad news."

"Depends. My coworker, Victor Parsons, went by your house to see if your mother had returned. Before I left the first time, I placed my card inside the door in case your mother returned and might want to get in touch. It seems she did return. My card was gone but was replaced by a note from her." I tilt my head and wonder what the note reads.

"I bet she wrote not to disturb her unless you come bearing booze.", Clarissa scoffs sarcastically. "Go on and tell me."

"I'll get the note from him so you can read it. In summary, she wrote that she was leaving town with a guy by the name of Mitch."

"That's a guy who she occasionally hooks up with. He's a loser."

"Apparently, his brother got him a job at a garage in Tulsa, and your mother is tagging along. She wrote that she knows you wouldn't understand, but it's what she needs to do."

"I've never understood a single thing she's done. Why would I start now? It's ok. I'm ok."

"Clarissa, your mother may have made mistakes, but it's ok to upset or sad.", I say, but she shakes her head in disagreement.

"I'm not though. It may make me sound like a bad person, but I'm relieved she's gone. Maybe one day she'll get her act together." I get up from the swing and hold my arms open for her. She doesn't even debate accepting my hug. Christian and I lock eyes as Clarissa and I embrace.

"You're going to be just fine."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Georgia, Raygan,this is Ms. Vickie. She's going to be helping Ms. Gail watch the two of you and the nuggets when they arrive.", Christian tells the twins who are too occupied playing to pay attention. We've decided to hire Grace's friend Vickie Chambers who has over twenty years of experience in childcare. We're still looking for someone to take over the housekeeper position while Gail can puts her focus on the kids.

"It's so nice to meet you two. Your Grandmother Grace and I are friends, and she talks about the two of you all the time. I must say you're even more adorable than she described. I heard you're going to be big sisters. Are you excited?"

"Uh-huh.", Raygan answers softly.

"I bet you are. I have a feeling we're going to get along nicely."

"They're being a little shy at the moment but give them time, and they'll make up for it.", Christian laughs.

"Oh yes. They'll warm up to you.", Gail adds. "Georgia and Raygan are sweethearts who love running especially if you're chasing them. They also have a fondness for hide and seek although their giggles give away their hiding spots." I see that it's almost time to leave for work so I grab my purse and the bag of snacks Gail prepared for me to take for my half day of work. Since Emily and Elliot's wedding is a week away, she wants to get in as much work at the bookstore as she can so I'm only working half a day.

"I'll be at the bookstore until noon if you need me.", I tell Vickie. "You've got all the numbers if you need one of us although you're in excellent hands with Gail."

"I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I've got it handled.", Gail smiles.

"You always do.", Christian says, bending down to kiss Georgia and Raygan before moving to my bump. He brings his body up and touches my lips with his. During our kiss, I hear laughing from behind us. Turning around, I notice Georgia and Raygan laughing.

"What are you laughing at?", I ask. "Daddy didn't steal all of my kisses. Let me kiss my sweet peas." The girls pucker their lips and place tiny kisses on my cheek. "Oh. I forgot I'm going to stop by the store after I leave work. I've got a list full of things to buy."

* * *

"Hey Elliot." He's maneuvering through the store with a large bouquet of roses. I cover my mouth as he almost drops the flowers on the floor before placing them safely on the counter. "That was close."

"You're telling me. The guy at the florist asked if I wanted him to deliver them, but I insisted on bringing them myself."

"They're beautiful. You do know that Emily isn't here yet, right?" I hop off my stool to get a better look at the arrangement.

"Duh.", he laughs. "I wanted these to be here waiting on her when she got to work. I figured seeing them first thing might get her shift off to a good start."

"Oh Elliot, those flowers are gorgeous, but you shouldn't have.", Haley sighs with her hand on her chest.

"I didn't. They're for Emily." Haley pats him on the back and joins me in admiring the flowers. "The two of you are acting like you've never seen flowers before which I know isn't true especially in Ana's case. Christian probably has a florist on speed dial."

"How did you guess?", I tease back. "You're a week away from tying the knot. Are you excited?"

"Hell yeah. I get to marry the woman of my dreams and have cake. It doesn't get better than that." Stepping out of the stock room, Gwen giggles after hearing Elliot. "What's so funny about getting married and having cake?"

"Uh Elliot, this is kind of awkward and not at all how we wanted you to find out. Emily was going to tell you.", Gwen says with the most serious face I've ever seen on her.

"Tell me what?" Elliot's eyes search the room for clarity. "Has Emily changed her mind about getting married?"

"There's not going to be a cake. Karen Walker called Emily the other day and said she's got an unexpected trip to make out of town, meaning she can't do the cake like she had intended. I'm sorry." Elliot looks like a kid who's just been told there's not a Santa Claus. Haley places her hand on my shoulder and turns us around so Elliot can't see us trying not to laugh. The snicker from Sawyer ends the charade. "I'm kidding."

"Gwen, that's not cool, not cool at all. Besides, even if what you said were true, we would find some way to have a cake. There are plenty of people who know how to bake."

"You're right, and I'm sorry for my cruel joke.", Gwen says.

"It's fine. Ana, mom said Clarissa's going to the wedding." Although Clarissa's only been staying with Carrick and Grace a few days, she seems to be settling in well. "Clarissa's never traveled outside the state and is looking forward to it."

"She'll have a nice time."

"I think she will. Well, I've got to get going. Laters."

* * *

Following work, Sawyer drives me to the store where I grab a cart and begin working on my list. I called Gail on the way to see if she needed anything, and she gave me a few items. I then called Christian who also added to the list.

"Maybe we should get another cart.", I mutter as I hold the list in front of Sawyer. He smirks and grabs another cart. We head towards the health and beauty department of the store where I spot Grace and Clarissa.

"This smells like raspberry.", Grace grins, handing a bottle of body wash to Clarissa who smells the product.

"Mmm. It does.", Clarissa replies.

"Raspberry, eh?", I ask. They turn and smile at my appearance. "Hey."

"Hi Ana." Clarissa's demeanor has lightened considerably since we first met.

"Carrick needed some new pens for work, and I needed some things as well so we came here.", Grace says.

"Even though I insisted I didn't need anything, Grace has already picked up several things for me." Clarissa motions to their cart where a dvd player and a few dvds are placed. "I'm going to pay her back as soon as I get a job."

"You'll do no such thing. Just like with the clothes and shoes I bought you yesterday, I'm buying you these things because I want to. Paying us back isn't an option."

"Thank you." Clarissa smiles and wipes her hands with the back of her hand. "I'm not used to people being nice to me, let along buying me things. My mom gave me a Christmas present...once. That was the extent of her generosity. I'm sorry. We were having a nice time, and I had to go and ruin it."

"Don't apologize. Ever. You have nothing to be sorry about.", I tell her. "Elliot said you're going to the wedding next week."

"I'm looking forward to meeting Mia, Mark, and baby Thomas. Grace said the entire town is full of friendly people. It sounds like a wonderful place."

"It truly is. I loved growing up there. It's small but peaceful. We'll have to make sure we stop by Karen's for a burger and then Isla's for some ice cream."

"The Grey Sundae.", Grace says in reference to the ice cream treat I had named after Christian. "Ana had named after Christian."

"How romantic.", Clarissa replies. She glances nervously over her shoulder at Sawyer before lowering her voice. "I just remembered something I need, something of a female nature. I think I saw them a few aisles over. I'll be right back." She rushes down the end of the aisle and turns left.

"We'll be shopping for school supplies soon. It's been forever since I had a child in school, but I'm ready. I wonder if high school kids eat at school or if most bring their lunch."

"At my school, it's divided.", Clarissa answers after returning with a box of tampons. "There are some kids who despise the cafeteria food and others who enjoy it. I don't fall into either category. My lunch time is usually spent in the library or outside by one of the trees where I read." She doesn't say it, but I feel her staying away from the cafeteria is more because she didn't have the money for food.

"You're in luck because I happen to be an expert at making sack lunches. You saw me preparing Carrick's for him the other day, right? I intend on doing the same for you. Your senior year is going to be full of more work. You'll need well balanced meals to counteract that work."

"I'd like to catch up some more, but I need to get home to the girls."

* * *

"Dada?" Raygan searches every inch of the nursery for Christian who's still at work.

"He'll be home soon." She takes the yellow and pink polka dot blanket from Georgia's hands and gives it to me. "Thank you, but you shouldn't have taken it from your sister. Here you go. Give it back to Georgia." Raygan takes the blanket but holds on to it while Georgia reaches for it. "Raygan." The blanket is finally placed back in Georgia's hands.

"Tank you.", Georgia smiles. I scoot back in the rocking chair and place my hand on my stomach while thinking about how life's going to change once the nuggets arrive. The feeling of something tickling my neck jolts me. Christian's standing behind me with his finger on my neck. "Dada."

"Yes Dada.", he answers. "There's been a few times lately in which they've been asleep before I got home so I did my best to prevent that tonight. The three of you look tired, especially you Mommy."

"I'm a little.", I lie. He narrows his eyes and waits for the truth. "Fine. I'm exhausted, and I didn't even work a full day."

"You've got two babies and two more on the way. Being exhausted is a given." He looks at the twins and then back at me. "Since they're already dressed for bed, it hopefully won't take long to get them to sleep. Once they're down, I'm carrying you to bed."

"Christian, the bedroom is next door, and I can walk on my own."

"I know you can, but I'm trying to be helpful and romantic at the same time."

"You're always both."

"I didn't earn the title of Swoon King for nothing.", he chuckles.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Is this going to be a thing?" Lea and I stop in the middle of our conversation and turn to Henry who's pointing at our growing stomachs. "You know the two of you being pregnant the same time, _every_ time?"

"Uh every time?", Lea asks in shock. "Can't you let us give birth before you start making more plans?"

"You're right, but you're always right sweetheart.", Henry smiles innocently at Lea. "Especially when you're pregnant." Christian who's sitting in the floor with the sweet peas and Zander laughs which causes the kids to start laughing. After a stressful few weeks, it's nice to relax with our best friends. What makes things even better is tomorrow is Elliot and Emily's wedding day. The entire family has migrated from Seattle, staying in various places in Seattle. Carrick, Grace, and Clarissa are staying with Mia and Mark while Elliot and Emily are staying with Emily's parents. The rest of the family, including Christian, the girls, and myself are staying at the motel.

"Ana, you look deep in thought over there.", Christian says.

"I'm just thinking about different things.", I shrug.

"One of those being the house?", Henry asks.

"I've come to terms with the fire, and I'm look forward to rebuilding. It's still weird not going there during our visits." Christian leans against the sofa and places his hand on my knee. "On to more positive things."

"Yes!", Lea exclaims. "Who thinks Elliot's going to be a blubbering mess during the wedding?"

"I believe he'll cry but nothing too extreme.", Christian answers.

"Same here.", I say, glancing at Henry for his response.

"Elliot's going to be bawling like a baby. Just wait till he sees Emily walking towards him. Of course in his defense, it's hard not to cry when you see the love of your life walking towards you in front of all your loved ones." He smiles bashfully at Lea. "The dinner tonight at Emily's parents' should be fun."

"It's going to be a lot of fun. Karen was going to do the food for tonight and the reception in addition to the wedding cake, but Emily's cousin Lisa volunteered to do the food for tonight. Emily was a little hesitant at first, but Lisa prepared some of the dishes for Emily and Elliot to try. They enjoyed them and gave her the green light."

"I'm still debating on what to wear.", Lea groans. "Every dress I want to wear is too tight on me."

"Anything you wear will be perfect.", Henry assures her.

"I can only imagine how many outfits Mia will try on before eventually going back to the first one.", Christian chuckles as Raygan hands him a block. "Thank you." Georgia and Raygan then take a block and pas it to Christian. "This is so nice, but why don't you save your blocks so you'll have enough things with."

"Don't want it.", Zander replies.

"Here Dada.", Georgia chimes in. She's about to hand another block to Christian but drops it on the floor. Zander grins and picks up the block, handing to her as the entire room looks on. "Tank you."

"He was simply handing her block to her, not asking for her hand in marriage.", Christian mutters. "But just in case, Zander, I'll be watching you."

* * *

"It's looks like the entire town is here.", I say while we're standing in the living room of Emily's parents' home. The furniture has been removed to make way for several tables. Christian's eyes have been fixated on the soft pink cocktail dress I decided to wear. "I take it you like my dress."

"Baby, I fudging love your dress. It highlights your curves." The girls are dressed in a baby blue dresses with tiny bows in the back. "Sweet peas, your dresses are very pretty." Raygan flashes a smile and tugs on the skirt part of her dress.

"Hi.", Clarissa waves. She started towards us a few minutes ago but got caught in the crowd of people. "I didn't think I was ever going to get over here and say." She's dressed in an off white one shoulder dress which Grace helped her find. "I was also worried about tripping on my way." She points to her matching heels. "I don't do well with heels, but they do look good with the dress."

"Clarissa, you look wonderful.", I tell her. "I like how you styled your hair." Her hair has been pulled into a low bun with curls falling in the front.

"Thanks. I can't take credit for it. Mia did it." Since we arrived in Logan, Mia's been using the chance to get to know the newest member of the family. She gave Clarissa a tour of the town during which she showed her Karen's, Isla's, and the resource center among other things.

"Doesn't she look cute?", Mia asks after she and Mark join us. "Clarissa, do you see that guy over there?" Mia nods towards the fireplace where a young, brown haired boy is standing. "He's been staring at you the entire night. You should go and introduce yourself."

"I'd rather not. Although I'm in awe of all the love stories created in Logan, I'm going to refrain from getting into a relationship with anyone. I'm going to be a senior and need to put my focus on my studies."

"There's nothing wrong with that.", I tell her. "Mia, where's Thomas tonight?"

"Mark's mom and dad are babysitting. He'll be at the wedding tomorrow. His little suit is adorable." Georgia and Raygan suddenly break into laughter. Curious about what's gotten them laughing, I turn and see Grandpa and Grandmother with Carrick, Grace, Elliot, and Emily following behind them. "I haven't heard Elliot scream in shock or run off which means Grandmother, Grandpa, you two must be behaving." Grandmother glances at Elliot with a smirk.

"Considering his and Emily's wedding day is tomorrow, we decided we'd hold off on any embarrassing stories."

"Thank fudge.", Elliot mumbles.

"But after the wedding...all bets are off.", Grandpa laughs. "Your grandmother, however, couldn't help herself so she said a few things to Adam."

"Where are Adam and Haley anyway?", I ask. "I see Julia and Kenneth talking to some people but not Adam and Haley."

"He needed to get some air after what I told him so Haley and Addison went with him." Emily's parents Sam and Laurel Whitmore have made their way to the front of the room and are waving Elliot, Emily, Carrick, and Grace over to them.

"Looks like it's time to make a toast.", Emily says before pulling Elliot with her to the front.

"Welcome everyone.", Sam announces. "Tomorrow is a monumental day for both the Whitmore and Grey families. Our children Emily and Elliot be united in marriage. I used to joke that a guy would have to jump through hoops to be good enough for Emily." I raise a brow at Christian who has his eyes on the twins. "When she introduced us to Elliot, I sensed right away the two of them were going to be in it for the long haul. He had the face of a man who had found his better half." Sam steps back next to his wife while Carrick steps forward.

"Elliot gave me permission to tell this story to everyone. Emily, it's one you haven't heard either. I was sitting in my office following a long day in court when Elliot showed up looking pale. My first thought was that he was sick. He almost missed the chair when he went to sit down.", Carrick sighs. "I told him he didn't look well and should be checked out by his mother who's a doctor. He didn't say anything which worried me even more. I picked up my phone and was about to dial my wife's number when Elliot finally spoke up. He said, "I'm sick Dad." In his spot next to Emily, Elliot's looking shy, an uncommon trait for him. "I asked if he was in any pain. He placed his hands on his stomach and said he felt nauseous, but he knew why he felt that way. You see my son was sick that day, but he was lovesick. It was only a few days after he and Emily had met. He told me the feeling was new to him, but it was a great feeling to have. The last thing he said to me before leaving was, "Dad, I'm going to marry that girl."

"And here we are.", Elliot says. He takes Emily's hand and brings it to his lips. "Emily, marrying you tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life."

"Mine too Elliot.", she replies.

* * *

"Georgia, Raygan, I need you to stay with me the entire way down the aisle. Daddy's going to be there but don't go running to him. Ok?"

"Tay.", Raygan answers. "No Dada."

"No Dada.", Georgia adds.

The wedding was initially going to be held outside at Emily's parents' house, but Elliot and Emily decided to hold it at the church where Sam and Laurel were married thirty years ago. Haley returns from the front of the church where she went to check on Addison.

"How's Addison?", Gwen asks.

"She's good. Julia has her. Elliot looked very anxious out there.", Haley tells Emily. "Are we almost ready?" Sam links his arms with Emily's and nods.

"We're ready.", Emily answers. "All we need is the music and the ring bearer. Lea and Zander were right here a minute ago." A door on the left opens, and an exasperated Lea comes rushing out with Zander who's the ring bearer. Elliot and Emily were worried his age would make it difficult, but Lea's going to be walking with him. "There you are."

"Sorry. Zander had to use the potty. Is it time?" Christina Perri's A Thousand Years begins playing from the speakers in the front of the church.

"It's time.", Sam says.

Once the doors have opened, Gwen, Haley, and Mia make their way down the aisle followed by Lea and Zander. Being the maid of honor, I'm behind them with the twins each side. They're carrying small baskets with rose petals. I'm alternating my eyes between them and the front where a smiling Christian is watching our every move.

"Thow out some flowers.", I tell the girls. Georgia tosses a single petal on the floor while Raygan counters with a handful. The guests are laughing and awwing as we get closer to the altar.

"Dada!", Georgia shouts, running to Christian and dropping petals on her way. Raygan then leaves my side and hurries to Christian. Elliot laughs when the girls get to the end. He reaches into their baskets and tosses some petals into the air.

"Did you really think they would be calm when they saw their Daddy?", Christian whispers in my ear. Sam and Emily are now on their way down the aisle as Elliot's tearing up. Christian and Henry toss knowing looks at each other.

"You're stunning.", Elliot says to Emily.

"I figured I should look my best if I planned on getting married." The minister clears his throat and begins the ceremony. The time come for Emily and Elliot to say their vows.

"All throughout my life I've been known as a comedian, but what can I say, I enjoy making people laugh and smile. I could say something humorous day like Emily you're the rock to my roll or the jelly to my peanut butter. Instead, I'm going to tell you that I'm grateful for the gods above sending you my way. I look at you and literally see an angel here on earth. You inspire me, challenge me, compliment me, but most of all, you love me and I love you. I promise to spend every second of every day showing you how much I love you.", Elliot manages to say through his tears. He's barely able to place the ring on her finger.

"Emily will now say her vows."

"I used to have this dream of having a knight on a white horse show and sweep me off my feet. I ended telling myself that it was nothing more than a dream. Then, I met you at a wedding ironically. That first night we talked and laughed until the early morning hours. It was the beginning of our story. It was also the night it dawned on me that I had found my knight. He wears jeans and tee shirts and drives a truck, but he's my happily ever after. I love you Elliot.", Emily says while sliding Elliot's ring on to his finger.

"Elliot and Emily have cemented their union with their rings.", the minister proclaims, stopping to listen to something Elliot needs to tell him. "I've been advised by the groom that he and the bride have decided to shorten things. So, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Elliot Grey. Elliot, you may kiss the bride."

"Yes!", Elliot yells with a fist pump. He grabs Emily and smashes his lips on hers.

"Oh.", Georgia giggles.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: There's a slight time jump with this for reading. Enjoy!**

"I'm a tad surprised Elliot and Emily passed on dinner tonight.", Carrick murmurs while passing Grace the green beans.

"They're newlyweds who'd rather be doing other things.", Grace laughs. Since tying the knot a little almost two months ago, Elliot and Emily have been kissing and cuddling nonstop. It's adorable.

"Didn't Elliot ask for you to save some leftovers for them?", Clarissa asks.

"He did. He's going to stop by in the morning and pick up some of the roast beef for his lunch. Did you tell Christian and Ana your news?", Grace asks Clarissa who shakes her head from her chair next to Grace. After grabbing my napkin from Georgia's reach, I look at Clarissa who appears unsure about telling her news.

"What news?"

"The school held a poetry contest for any interest student. I decided to take a chance and submit a piece I wrote. It...um...won first place.", Clarissa answers with a shy grin.

"That's only the beginning.", Carrick says. "Go on and tell them the rest."

"Since I won the school wide contest, I was entered in the district which I also won."

"Clarissa, that's amazing.", I say. "I knew you enjoyed reading poetry, but I had no idea you liked to write it. I'm so happy for you." I clasp my hands together and smile at her as the girls start clapping. "The sweet peas are happy for you too." Clarissa began her senior year last month and has been excelling in her subjects. Grace and Carrick continue to enjoy having her in the house.

"As am I.", Christian replies. "Your birthday is coming up, right?" Clarissa's smile fades into a frown.

"Next week. I'll be eighteen and legal.", Clarissa mutters while Grace gently places her hand on Clarissa's shoulder.

"I think I know what you're wondering.", Grace tells Clarissa. "You're wondering if things are going to change with us once you turn eighteen."

"It's crossed my mind. I've wondered if you would want me to move out since I would be a legal adult."

"Sweet girl, don't even think about such a thing. We want you here. Your turning eighteen doesn't change your place in our home or our family. What it does mean is we're going to celebrate. How about a party?"

"I've never had a birthday party before, but then again, the only time I've had a birthday cake was when my grandmother baked me one. Even so, I'd kind of rather have a mellow evening with all of you. I wouldn't object to a cake though. Oh, maybe I could invite Kelly to join us." Kelly is Clarissa's new friend who moved to Seattle from San Diego. They've been friends since Clarissa was asked to show Kelly around school on her first day.

"You most definitely can invite her." Raygan glares at Clarissa with a pout. "I believe someone else wants to be attend."

"Raygan, you and Georgia are certainly invited.", Clarissa giggles. "This time tomorrow you'll know if you're having two sisters, two brothers, or a brother and a sister." Christian and I are excited about finding out the sex of the nuggets tomorrow.

"Baybeeee!", Georgia shouts. The entire table breaks into laughter at the girls' new favorite word.

"Do you any sort of theory on what you're having?"

"I go back and forth.", I answer. "Yesterday I sensed the nuggets are boys, but then this morning, I felt like they're a boy and a girl. Christian feels like they're both boys."

"It's just a hunch.", he says. "It doesn't because these babies along with their sisters mean the world to me and their mom, and they're going to be showered with love."

* * *

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Grey.", Janie, our new housekeeper smiles after arriving at the house the next morning. A week after Elliot and Emily's wedding we finally found someone suited enough to take over the housekeeping position. Interestingly enough, it was Vickie who recommended Janie. The two have lived on the same street for several years so when Vickie learned Janie, a recent divorcee, needed a job she informed her of the one we had.

"Good morning." I get Georgia out of her high chair and start cleaning her face and hands while Christian cleans up Raygan.

"I think I hear a car outside.", Christian says. He picks up Raygan and starts out of the kitchen but stops when Clarissa steps into the doorway. "Clarissa, hey."

"Hi. I'm sorry for showing unannounced especially this early in the morning."

"It's fine. We've been up for a few hours and just getting ready for work. Shouldn't you be getting ready or already be on your way to school?", I ask.

"I'm actually on my way to school now. Grace is waiting on me in the car. I meant to ask you something last night but forgot. Then this morning as I was getting ready, I remembered and asked Grace if she would stop by here on the way to school." Christian places Raygan on the floor with Georgia, and the two sweet peas sprint into the living room where I hear Gail giggling at them. "I was wondering...if maybe...", Clarissa stammers. "Do you need help at the bookstore?" I look past Clarissa and at Christian who brought up me cutting back my hours even more at work.

"I had nothing to do with this. I swear.", he replies, holding his hands up.

"It's true. I came up with the idea on my own. Grace told me I didn't have to get a job, but it's something I'd like to do. I thought about the fabric store but wanted to check on the bookstore first since I love books."

"Well, I'll talk to Haley about it, but I think she'd be on board with the idea. It wouldn't be a lot of hours, but as long as it doesn't interfere with your school work, I don't see an issue."

"I've assured Grace and Carrick that my school work won't suffer. I shouldn't keep Grace waiting any longer. Thank you for this Ana."

"It's no problem."

* * *

"Clarissa working here...hmmm..." Haley's just finished putting away a stack of invoices and is now considering Clarissa working in the bookstore.

"I told her I would say something to you. I also told her it wouldn't be a lot of hours." Emily and Gwen have stopped their stocking and are watching Haley as she makes her decision.

"Boo!", Sawyer laughs when he sneaks up behind them. Emily drops the books in her hand and whirls around with a harsh glare aimed at him.

"You didn't scare me. I knew you were there.", Gwen scoffs.

"Ah, so that explains why you jumped."

"Since I have gathered an audience, I shouldn't keep them waiting with my answer. I'd very much like to have Clarissa work here. The girl knows a lot about books and having her here will be good when younger people come in. She'll be able to relate to suggest things for them."

"She's going to be thrilled. Now that we've got that out of the way, I have another thing to discuss with you. I'd like to cut my hours back even more. Maybe I can work half days."

"Ok.", Haley replies.

"That's it? You don't have a problem with it?" She laughs and moves to get a cup of coffee.

"Ana, you're expecting your second set of twins. I understand your need to cut back on work. I wouldn't be upset if you wanted to go ahead and take your maternity leave now. "

"I still would like to work a little."

"Elliot and I are thinking about trying for a baby.", Emily blurts out. "I needed to tell someone. We've been practicing a lot. When I say a lot, I mean practically every night, sometimes two or three times a night. Hell, I'm surprised I'm able to walk."

"Too much information.", I grimace. "But, I know you and Elliot will be wonderful parents when the time comes."

"He's incredible with all the kids."

"As are you.", Gwen tells her. "I had a feeling it wouldn't be long until you and Elliot got baby fever."

"I'd like at least two kids although Elliot said he wants a house full."

"Sounds a lot like his brother.", I giggle as I caress my stomach.

* * *

Christian had a meeting at two which ended running late so Sawyer and I head to the Dr. Greene's office where Christian said he'll meet us. I'm flipping through the pages of my one of the parenting magazines while waiting for Christian to show up. Besides Sawyer and I, there's a couple in the waiting room.

"This is our second baby.", the woman says with a smile. Her husband places a kiss on her cheek and resumes staring at her in admiration. "How about you?"

"This is my second pregnancy with twins."

"Wait...you've already got a set of twins and another set is on the way? Wow. You're going to be busy busy busy.", the guy chuckles. He turns to Sawyer and shakes his head. "How do you feel about two sets of twins?"

"All right.", Sawyer answers. His eyes widen when he finally realizes the guy believes we're a couple. "I'm not the father or either set. I'm just..."

"A friend.", I finish his sentence. "He drove me here. My husband is running late." Dr. Greene's nurse Shannon who normally takes my vitals and weight appears in the waiting room with her chart. Christian doesn't have to be here for this part of the check-up, but I'm getting worried he's going to miss the entire appointment. I type out a quick text to see where he's at. Seconds later, he texts back that he's on the way but a car accident has slowed traffic considerably.

"How have you been feeling Ana?", Shannon asks once I'm on my way to the back.

"Pretty good although I would be better if Christian were here. He's stuck in traffic."

"Maybe he'll be here by the time we're finished here."

"I'm hoping."

Unfortunately, Christian hasn't arrived by the Dr. Greene steps into the room. I reluctantly lay back on the exam table and prepare for the exam.

"Where's Christian?", Dr. Greene asks.

"He was running late and then got stuck in traffic which has made him even later. She lifts my gown and starts rubbing the gel over my stomach. "We wanted to find out what we're having today, but it looks like that's going to wait." The door suddenly opens so hard I'm shocked it doesn't fall off the hinges. A weary Christian rushes to my side, grabbing my hands with his hands. "You're here."

"I'm here.", he stammers. "The traffic finally started moving, but I was so afraid I was going to miss this moment. I shouldn't have scheduled that meeting so close to your appointment. I'm sorry baby."

"You're here, and that's what matters.", I tell him.

"Shall we begin?", a smiling Dr. Greene asks. She takes the transducer and starts gliding around my stomach. "I hear some very strong heartbeats." Christian and I turn our heads towards the screen at the same time. "As I recall, one of the girls was a tad shy when we were trying to find out the gender. That's not the case this time as it seems both babies are wanting to be seen." A grin is etched on Christian's face as we see the tell tale signs of what we're having.

"They're definitely proud of what they've got.", he smirks. "Our sons Ana. That's our sons."

"Hi babies. Your daddy, sisters, and I love you very much. We can't wait to meet you."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Is that your list?" I quickly stash the notepad I'm holding in between the sofa cushions, hoping Christian's eagle eyes wasn't able to see what was written. Learning the nuggets are both boys was more than exciting. I know Christian would've been happy with girls, but I also know he's thrilled to be getting boys. Like with the girls, we immediately called and gave our friends and family the news. One of the most asked questions was the names. Christian and I decided to each pick a name. With the girls gone with Grace and Grandmother to pick up supplies for Clarissa's birthday, I'm taking the time to work on my list. I believe I might have found a perfect name.

"Yeah.", I reply, tapping my pen against the arm of the sofa.

"You've got this satisfied look. Could it be that you've chosen a name?", he asks while trying his best to catch a glimpse of my list.

"I do indeed have a name, one that's not on this page so you can stop trying to see it. How about you? Have you got a name?"

"Maybe I do. Maybe I won't tell you until it's time to deliver. Just as Dr. Greene holds the baby up, I'll look at you and say, "It's...", he stops himself.

"Better idea! You'll tell me the name you've chosen while I do the same with mine. If you don't, this sofa I'm sitting on will be your new bed."

"I wonder if Lea and Henry are working on names as well.", he mutters as he sits down next to me. Lea and Henry are having a girl this time around.

"They are but haven't come up with one yet. Stop trying to change the subject."

"How am I changing the subject? We're discussing baby names, an issue which our best friends are also dealing with. The way I see it you're the one changing the subject." I grab the pad from the cushions and playfully swat him on the leg with it. "Could you do that again but maybe a little higher so I can see the names?"

"You want my list?", I ask. "Here. Take it." The pad lands in his lap, but he keeps looking at me instead. "Look all you want cowboy. As I told you, the name isn't on that list. Go ahead and look." He blows out a breath and starts scanning the page.

"All you have on here, repeatedly, is "I told you so." I fudging love it when you tease me. It's time to be serious though. I'll tell the name I've chosen. It's Aidan Carrick." Both of my hands go to my stomach at the same moment tears stream freely down my face. "Ana, if you don't like it, I can find another name."

"I love it. It's a beautiful name." I look down at my stomach and smile. "Hi Aidan Carrick. I suppose you want to know your brother and roommate's name. It's Theodore Noah." Christian inches closer and is about to kiss me when the front door opens. Grace and Grandmother along with the twins walk through the door.

"It looks we're interrupting something.", Grandmother laughs. She turns to Grace who has Georgia and Raygan on each side. "Grace, why don't we go back outside so they can finish up here."

"No need. I was only going to kiss my wife. You guys can stay." Georgia and Raygan tear away from Grace and rush to Christian and I. "Did you have a nice time with Grandma and Great Grandma?"

"Uh-huh.", Raygan answers softly.

"No.", Georgia replies.

"You didn't have a nice time?", I ask. "Why not?"

"She had a nice time. Both of them did.", Grace says. "We went and got the things for Clarissa's party, and then we went to Toys R Us. I bought both of them a princess dress up kit which has a dress, plastic tiara, and a wand. One is pink and the other is purple. I left them in the car but will get them out before we leave."

"Princess dress up kits? They sound adorable."

"They really are.", Grandmother says. "I almost bought one for myself."

"Mom, I know you only have good intentions, but Clarissa said she doesn't want a big party. You're not going against her word, are you?", Christian asks Grace as she and Grandmother sit down.

"I only bought a few streamers and some candles for the cake which I'm making."

"And there won't be any clowns.", Grandmother adds. Christian and I look at each other and then her in confusion. "Theo is a tad scared of clowns. He can't look at them and not get chills."

"Speaking of Grandpa, Ana and I have chosen the nuggets' names.", Christian says. "I decided on Aidan Carrick."

"I chose Theodore Noah." Grandmother and Grace immediately break into tears. "Those are happy tears, right?"

"Darling, they are tears of joy."

* * *

"Hey birthday girl. I was a little surprised when Haley said you would be working today considering it's a school day.", I tell Clarissa when she arrives at the bookstore. She started here only two days ago, but Haley said she acts as if she's been here years.

"The teachers are having inservice so we have the day off."

"No school, cool.", Gwen giggles from the table where she's drinking a cup of coffee.

"When Haley told me about Addison's doctor's appointment, I volunteered to work. Ana, you're the one who I'm shocked to see here. I thought you were cutting back on your hours."

"I am. My shift ends at noon when Emily comes in. After today, I only have a half day on Friday left for this week. How has your birthday been so far?"

"It's been the best birthday ever. I woke up, got dressed, and went downstairs to find Grace and Carrick with a cupcake that had a candle in it. They started singing Happy Birthday to me. That's never happened.", Clarissa murmurs. "They gave me a card and some new clothes."

"So sweet.", I sigh. "Christian, the girls, and I got you a gift that we're bringing tonight."

"Ana, you guys didn't have to get me anything."

"We wanted to. Grace mentioned last night that you signed up with the school production of Romeo and Juliet."

"Before you go and think I'm going to be the next up and coming actress, know that I'm only going to be helping our director Mrs. Freedman. She teaches senior English and has also been filling in as the drama teacher since Mr. Reddick broke his leg. The other day she put the sign up sheet up and asked if I'd be interested in a role. I passed but offered to help with the set design and anything else she needed."

"Grandmother said she's going to do the costumes."

"Yep. She volunteered although Grace is going to help her out. Even though opening night is weeks away, and I don't have a part, I hope all of you can attend."

"We'll be on the front row.", Gwen tells her.

"I was in my school's production of Romeo and Juliet.", Sawyer says while putting away the newspaper he was reading. "I was the understudy until the day before we opened. The guy who was playing Romeo decided he couldn't be out on the stage and in front of hundreds of people. Why he waited that long to come up with that decisions, I don't know. Everyone was freaking out, saying the entire thing was doomed. Sure I was the understudy, but no one could actually see me out the stage. I was already the size I am now, and everyone saw me only as a jock."

"I get the feeling you proved them wrong.", I say.

"I promised each and every member of the cast and crew that I was going to go out there and help make it the best production of Romeo and Juliet ever. I was a little nervous but more excited while it was going on. There wasn't a single mistake out there. When it was over, the audience sat still for a few seconds before finally breaking into applause and then a standing ovation. It wasn't just a standing ovation. No. It was a standing ovation that lasted ten minutes."

"Ten minutes? Seriously?", Gwen asks in doubt.

"Yes. My mom was in the audience and timing it." He looks straight ahead with a bright smile. "The school tried to live up to the success of that play, but nothing compared."

"Please tell me you have a video of that?"

"My mom does somewhere. I can ask her to find it so you can experience the awesomeness that is Luke Sawyer."

* * *

"Ana, be glad you only had a half day today.", Emily groans as we sit in the dining room at Carrick and Grace's. We've just finished dinner and are waiting a few minutes before serving Clarissa's cake. "We had a crazy rush this afternoon." I start feeling bad about leaving when I did. Christian, reading my mind, places his hand on my shoulder and points his finger.

"Don't feel bad. You need to work less. We agreed on it.", he says.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad Ana. I'm sorry. It was a little hectic, but we handled it. Haley and Clarissa helped customers who needed help while Gwen and I manned the registers."

"Emily's right. We had everything under control.", Clarissa adds.

"The rush was ending when I stopped by around three. Emily and I had a few things to discuss.", Elliot says with a smirk.

"Did you really need to discuss something or were you stopping by for a quickie?", Grandpa asks. Still adjusting to the brazen attitudes of the grandparents, Clarissa covers her mouth to hold back her gasp.

"Clarissa, don't mind my dad. He and my mother have no filter.", Grace murmurs.

"I can't help but joke. I'm in a good mood after learning one of my new great-grandsons is going to be named after me. Georgia, Raygan, do you like the names you parents chose for your birthday."

"I do.", Raygan answers, but Georgia opts to stay mum.

"It's also a great day because we're celebrating Clarissa's eighteenth birthday.", Carrick announces proudly. "Grace should be bringing the cake any second." He glances towards the kitchen where Grace and Kelly, Clarissa's friend, are getting the cake ready.

"Here we go.", Grace smiles as she and Kelly carry the two layer chocolate cake. It has strawberries around the side and on top along with candles. They gently place the cake down in front of Clarissa whose face is glowing from both the candles and the happiness she's experiencing. "Let's sing."

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Clarissa. Happy birthday to you.", everyone sings. Georgia and Raygan start getting fussy while reaching for the cake. "You two can have cake in a minute. The birthday girl gets the first piece, but she need to blow out the candles first."

"Thank you all for this.", Clarissa sniffles before blowing out all the candles.

"Cake.", Georgia pouts. "Cake." Grace slices the cake and hands Clarissa her piece while everyone starts placing their gifts on the table.

"Elliot and I weren't sure what to get you.", Emily says, watching Clarissa open the first gift. Clarissa's eyes sparkle at the iPod she pulls out of the box.

"This is great. Thank you."

"We weren't sure either.", Grandpa tells Clarissa. He hands her an envelope and sits back down. Clarissa carefully opens the envelope. "Inside is some money. We thought you could use it on anything."

"Thanks."

"Since you like poetry and especially Frost." I hand Clarissa the neatly wrapped gift Christian and I chose. She wipes away her tears and starts unwrapping. Once all of the paper is removed, she then opens the box.

"Oh my.", she sighs. "This is "A Boy's Will", Robert Frost's first book of poems. "Wow."

"It's a first edition.", Christian says. Clarissa's jaw almost hits the floor at the news. "I have a friend who specializes in rare books."

"This is incredible, but I can't accept it. It's too much."

"No. It's not. Clarissa, you're a part of this family, and this gift is a sign of our appreciation of you."

"Christian's right.", Grace says.

"Well, in that case, thank you. Thank you all for making this a day I'll never forget. Most of all, thank you for opening your hearts to me."

"Mmmm.", Georgia giggles. I turn and see that she's reached her hands over to the cake and is smearing the frosting over her face.

"Hey.", Elliot whines. "How come she can do that but not me?"


End file.
